Yang Peng said: "Although your sisters each have their own strengths, when it comes to cooking, they can't compare with you! Only Yang Tong and Zhao Jinxi can cook, but they are far from your level!" Luo Yanran said: "Brother, thank you!"
Yang Peng laughed, waved his hand and said: "Don't be so polite between us, the more casual the better!" "Yes." Yang Peng patted the seat next to him and said, "Come on, sit down and eat too, don't just look at Serve me." Luo Yanran responded and sat down next to Yang Peng. The two chatted while eating. Yang Peng talked about the jokes he made when he was a child, which made Luo Yanran laugh out loud from time to time.
Anxi came in, "Brother, sister." Then she sneezed and coughed twice. Luo Yanran stood up, walked to An Qian's side, held An Qian's arm and asked with concern: "Did my sister catch a cold last night?" An Qian glanced at Yang Peng who was snickering, feeling annoyed, and said to Luo Yanran: "Sister, don't worry, it's nothing!"
Luo Yanran led An Qian to the round table and sat down on either side of Yang Peng. An Qian said to Yang Peng: "Brother, my sister and I are going to do errands today. We will not be able to stay with brother for a long time. You can take care of yourself!" Yang Peng nodded and looked at it. The two women glanced at each other, stretched out their left and right hands to hold their slender hands, and told them: "You should also take care of yourselves!" Then his heart moved and he said: "You two women have many inconveniences in all aspects outside. Everyone has to take care of yourselves." I'll pick twenty maids from the palace and bring them with me, so they can be used easily!" The two women nodded, "Thank you, brother!"
Yang Peng let go of the two women, picked up the chopsticks, put some dishes into the bowls of the two women, and said: "Stop talking about things, just focus on eating." The two women smiled, picked up the chopsticks, and ate in small bites. got up. …
At noon that day, Yang Peng sent the two women away and returned to the palace. As soon as he entered the door, Wang Kai reported: "Master, General Huyanbixian is here!" Yang Peng immediately walked into the hall and saw Huyanbixian in military uniform standing at attention in the middle of the hall. "Hu Yan will show up!" Yang Peng shouted. Huyan Bixian quickly turned around and bowed to Yang Peng, "General, I will pay my respects to King Yan!"
Yang Peng walked up to Hu Yanbi Xian and asked, "Have all the matters in Guozhou been handed over?" Hu Yanbi It is said that Liu Xi was defeated and King Yan summoned the general to come back. Do you want the general to deal with Han Tong?"
Yang Peng led Huyan Bixian to the map, pointed at Yazhou and said: "A small Yazhou actually defeated my Yanyun army!" Huyan Bixian immediately said: "The general doesn't think so! Then Liu Xi The army under my command is not the real Yanyun Army, so it does not count as the defeat of our Yanyun Army!"
Yang Peng smiled, glanced at Huyan Bixian, and said, "Then I will send you to lead five thousand real Yanyun troops to wipe out this rebel army. Are you sure?" Huyan Bixian cupped his fists and said, "Absolutely. Faultless! Not to mention five thousand, even a thousand people can deal with them!" Hu Yanbixian's words are not an exaggeration. Considering the combat power of Yanyun's main army, a thousand people can deal with Han Tong's temporary More than 10,000 troops were recruited and trained.
Yang Peng said: "If it is a head-on battle, it is true. But Han Tong is very cunning. He knows the gap in combat power between the two sides and will never fight our army head-on! He will definitely set up a trap and ambush like before Our army! But I have complete faith in your ability. I only have one thing to remind you, no matter how weak your opponent is, don’t take it lightly! No matter how powerful a liger is, it may die on the horns of a buffalo!" Hu Yanbi showed his heart. With a wince, he cupped his fists and said, "I will remember it in the end."
Yang Peng walked to the desk, picked up a letter, handed it back to Huyan Bixian, and said: "This is my letter of appointment to you. You will be fully responsible for annihilating the rebels in Yazhou and Xishan Yechuan. Liu Xi also returned You command." Huyanbixian took the letter with both hands and made a promise.
Yang Peng smiled and said: "Okay, if there is no problem, you can leave immediately." Hu Yanbixian clasped his fists and bowed: "I will leave at last!" and then quickly left the hall.
A secret guard rushed in and reported: "Master, Master Yu Qing, Master Zheng Tai is here." Yang Peng said: "Let them in." The secret guard agreed and ran down. After a while, he saw a man wearing a Yu Qing and Zheng Tai, dressed in scholar robes, came hand in hand. These two people have already appeared in the previous article. Yu Qing was the former prefect of Gongzhou. When the Yanyun Army and the Song Army were about to collide in Gongzhou, the prefect opened the city gates and let all the people and government officials in the city escape. Entering the nearby mountains, it is precisely because of this that the battle between Yan Yun Army and Song Army in Gongzhou did not hurt half of the people. This Yu Qing can be said to be indispensable! Shortly after the war, Yu Qing took the initiative to come to Chengdu, revealed his identity to the captain of the city gate, and then said that he had important military information to report to King Yan. The captain of the city gate naturally did not dare to neglect him and immediately led him to the palace. After the notification, Yu Qing was able to enter the palace and met Yang Peng. He immediately expressed his allegiance to Yang Peng, and Yang Peng temporarily kept him by his side. And Zheng Tai, this is the Fuzhou prefect who surrendered to Yan Yun before!
When the two saw Yang Peng, they hurriedly said: "My subordinates pay homage to King Yan!" Yang Peng said: "I summoned you here today because I have something to discuss with you." After hearing this, the two people felt flattered. Yu Qing hurriedly clasped his fists and said: "The King of Yan has a destiny, and my subordinates will go through fire and water without hesitation!" Seeing that Yu Qing had beaten him, Zheng Tai quickly said: "My subordinates are willing to do anything for the King of Yan, even if they die! "
Yang Peng smiled and said, "I'm very happy that you people are so loyal!" When the two heard this, they were overjoyed. Yang Peng walked behind the desk, sat down, and said, "I, Yan Yun, have announced various policies. Is there any reaction below?" The two of them clasped their fists together and said, "The people are very happy!" Yu Qing added: "The people all say that King Yan is a wise king and holy lord who only appears once every thousand years! With King Yan in charge, the people are all blessed!"
Yang Peng smiled, "I've heard a lot of good things. Now I want to hear some bad things. Isn't there anyone unhappy with my Yan Yun's policies?" The two looked at each other, Zheng Tai Baoquan said: "Of course there are complaints," Yang Peng nodded, "Go on." Zheng Tai responded and said: "There are quite a few complaints against King Yan among the scholars," and then quickly said: "Those are all sour. It’s just nonsense from rotten scholars!”
Yang Peng smiled and asked: "Apart from those corrupt literati, the gentry and gentry must also have complaints about my policies, right?" The two looked at each other, Yu Qing clasped his fists and said, "I dare not hide it from King Yan. The gentry and gentry do have a lot of complaints.”
Yang Peng asked: "What are they complaining about?" The two of them were a little frightened. They glanced at Yang Peng secretly. Seeing that he didn't look angry, they couldn't help but feel bolder. Yu Qing said: "Report to King Yan, Confucian scholars and nobles." The squires are mainly dissatisfied with two policies. One is about the system of selecting officials. For thousands of years, the imperial court has always valued Confucian scholars and regarded Confucianism as the foundation for governing the country. Although the times have changed many times and the specific methods of selecting talents have also changed, in the past The policy of Confucianism as the foundation for governing the country has never changed, so Confucian scholars and gentry and gentry have quite a lot of complaints about this policy." He glanced at Yang Peng secretly and saw that Yang Peng's expression was calm and showed no signs of anger, so he continued: "Two things It's the newly promulgated tax system. They think the tax rate is too high and cannot be borne at all. They say that such a tax is simply..." Yu Qing hesitated, not daring to say any more.
Yang Peng smiled and said, "Are they saying that my tax system is simply tyranny?" Yu Qing was startled, nodded tremblingly, and secretly looked at Yang Peng's expression.
Yang Peng said: "As a manager of the country, one thing you must do is fairness! Everyone is equal before the law, which is fairness, and a reasonable tax system is another kind of fairness! Those gentry and squires have control over With a large amount of resources, they should contribute more to the country. Is there anything wrong with this? They control a large amount of land, live in gorgeous mansions, wear silks and satins, and eat fine clothes and fine food. The wealth of the family can often occupy the vast majority of the local wealth; but ordinary people, thousands of households, live in mud houses and eat coarse rice. The family works hard all year round and can only maintain one food and clothing. The combined wealth of all the ordinary people in the region is often not worth that of a single country squire, but all the country's expenses are entirely borne by them, and they also have to endure the exploitation of the royal family and nobles at all levels of government. Is this reasonable?"
The two looked at each other. Until now, they had never thought about whether this was reasonable or unreasonable. The Confucian education they had always had made them subconsciously feel that all this was natural and justified. But at this moment, after listening to Yang Peng's words, they couldn't help but feel... I feel that there are indeed many unreasonable things in this, but I also feel that the world has always been like this. It is natural for the emperor and the gentry and gentry to shepherd all the people. There is nothing unreasonable about it.
Yang Peng said: "You are all well-educated people. You must know how the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors obtained their status?" The two of them said without thinking: "The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors are ancient sage kings. Because of their noble character, God chose them to be kings! "
Yang Peng asked mockingly: "Chosen by God?" The two of them were stunned. Yu Qing frowned and said: "This has always been said, but there is another saying in some ancient books handed down from ancient times, saying that there are three emperors and five emperors. , because he has made great contributions to the clan, he was elected as the king by the clan. This statement is contradictory to the popular statement nowadays, and my subordinates are stupid and do not know which of these two statements is correct!" Yu Qing was very smart. He couldn't understand King Yan's thoughts for the time being, so he said these ambiguous words. In this way, no matter what King Yan's thoughts were, he would not be blamed.
Yang Peng glanced at Yu Qing, then at Zheng Tai, and asked: "Which of these two statements do you think is more reasonable?" The two looked at each other and said together: "I am stupid!" Yang Peng looked at him. He said sternly: "You two must answer this question!"
The two of them were shocked, and couldn't help but panic. They didn't know what to do for a while. Yu Qing stammered: "Subordinate, I think it's more reasonable to think that the public recommendation may be more reasonable!" In one sentence, Yu Qing almost exhausted all his strength. After finishing speaking, his back was already dripping with cold sweat, and his whole body was covered with cold sweat. People are almost exhausted. Yu Qing glanced at Yang Peng secretly and saw that he was calm and could not tell what his attitude was. He couldn't help but feel anxious.
Yang Peng's eyes turned to Zheng Tai and said, "Tell me." Zheng Tai was startled, swallowed his saliva, and said, "Subordinate, I think it's possible. Maybe the theory of destiny is more reasonable! "After I finished speaking, I felt very anxious.
Yang Peng laughed. When the two saw this, one family was happy and the other was sad. Yang Peng asked Zheng Tai: "Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, once said, 'The people are more valuable than the king. The king is the boat and the people are the water. The water can carry the boat but also capsize it.' According to you, this statement must be wrong! "Zheng Tai didn't expect that King Yan would say such words, and felt that he should nod. However, he also felt that Tang Taizong was an eternal sage. If his words were wrong, it seemed wrong. He was in a dilemma for a moment, not knowing what to do. Just respond.
Yang Peng was too lazy to play riddles with them, and said angrily: "They are all raised by their parents, and they all have birth, old age, sickness, and death. Who is more noble than the other? What is destiny? It's all Confucian nonsense that fools the people. It's not as good as bullshit!"
The two of them were startled and kneeled down subconsciously. Zheng Tai felt uneasy, but Yu Qing secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Yang Peng said: "The reason why Confucian scholars, gentry and country gentry oppose my policies is, to put it bluntly, just for profit, and all other excuses are just fig leaves! They oppose the official selection system simply because these systems make them no longer have the exclusive privileges they once enjoyed. exist. In fact, they can still participate in the selection now. It’s just that these trashes are nothing but chess, calligraphy and painting. They don’t understand anything. Even if they participate in the selection, it is difficult to be selected. Therefore, they are resentful and talk nonsense here and there to express their dissatisfaction. ."
"As for the tax system, well, this is affecting their interests. These people live a luxurious life based on land. Naturally they are very dissatisfied with my land policy, but their luxurious life has not been obtained by their ability. , but were robbed from the people through an unfair system! Shouldn’t this be changed?”
Yu Qing and Zheng Tai hurriedly said: "It should be changed, it should be changed!" Yang Peng glanced at the two of them and said: "I have told you so much, you should understand Yan Yun and I's philosophy of governing the country, right?" Zheng Tai said quickly: "King Yan is as wise as Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. Everything is based on the interests and well-being of the people of the world!"
Yang Peng smiled and said: "Your understanding is okay, but not enough!" "Yes, yes, I am stupid!" Yang Peng looked at Yu Qing. The latter quickly said: "My subordinates have the same opinion as Mr. Zheng, but I still feel that it is not enough. I feel that King Yan seems to have the intention to change the inherent system that has existed for thousands of years!"
Yang Peng was a little surprised. He looked at Yu Qing and said, "Continue." Yu Qing responded and said, "King Yan, King Yan puts the people first. He also mentioned that the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were elected by the people. His attitude was quite In order to appreciate it, when he later talked about Confucian destiny, his attitude seemed to be full of contempt. Therefore, my subordinates felt that King Yan seemed to have the intention to dethrone the current system and restore the ancient system!"
Yang Peng's eyes showed admiration, he nodded and smiled: "You are very good!" Yu Qing couldn't help being flattered when he heard Yang Peng's praise, and quickly said: "I am so ashamed of myself!" Zheng Tai's eyes were full of joy. A look of jealousy.
Yang Peng flipped through the document in front of him, raised his head, glanced at the two of them, and said, "Among the high-level officials in Sichuan who have surrendered, you two are the only ones who can be considered honest officials and have achieved great political achievements in office!" The two of them thought in their hearts. Overjoyed, he quickly bowed and said, "King Yan, thank you for the award!"
Yang Peng looked at Yu Qing and said, "You are not only honest as an official, but you also care about the people and do things without following formalities. This is very good. I have decided to appoint you as the prefect of Chengdu." Yu Qing was overjoyed and hurriedly bowed: "Thank you Yan The king trusts me, and my subordinates will definitely live up to the trust of the king of Yan!"
Yang Peng turned to Zheng Tai and said: "You are an honest official and do things well. The shortcoming is that you are hesitant and lack of decision-making when things happen, but you are still a useful talent. I appoint you as the prefect of Gongzhou and Fuzhou, and the general manager. Civil affairs of the two places!" Zheng Tai was also overjoyed and thanked him quickly.
Yang Peng glanced at the two of them and said sincerely: "I have high expectations for both of you, and I hope you won't live up to it!" The two of them couldn't help but feel the urge to die for their confidants, and they clasped their fists together. Said: "I will definitely die of a bloody mess!"
Yang Peng asked: "Do you have anything else to say about Sichuan's governance issues?" Yu Qing clasped his fists and said: "The various policies promulgated by King Yan can be said to be very beneficial to developing Sichuan's economy and improving people's lives. . But in the process of implementing these policies, they will inevitably encounter great resistance! Sichuan is different from the Central Plains. Due to the previous wars in the Central Plains, the power of the gentry and gentry has actually been greatly weakened, and the original order has almost been completely broken. , the resistance encountered in the implementation of various policies will naturally be much smaller. But Sichuan is different. Sichuan has hardly been damaged by wars in the past thousand years. After thousands of years of development, the power of the gentry and gentry can be said to have grown big and deep-rooted! If we unite to fight against the New Deal, I’m afraid it will be difficult to implement the New Deal!”
Yang Peng asked: "When you talk about big trees with deep roots, do you mean officials from various places?"
Yu Qing nodded, "Yes, but it is by no means limited to that! The influence of the gentry and gentry is definitely in all aspects. The yamen servants, catchers, subordinates and even the prefects and county magistrates in various places are closely related to the gentry and gentry in various places. There are many connections, some of them are the children of local gentry and squires, and some are married to local gentry and squires!"
Yang Peng frowned and said: "According to what you said, wouldn't the gentry and gentry from all over the country have formed a tight network with the officials from all over the place?"
Yu Qing nodded, "That's right! Not only that, because most of the land is in their hands, they also control an extremely large number of tenant farmers. If these people are organized by them..." Chen Xiao understood What Yu Qing meant was that if the gentry and gentry armed the tenant farmers they controlled, it would be an extremely powerful force that could cause an unimaginable impact on Sichuan!
Yu Qing continued: "In addition, the gentry and gentry still control most of the industries in various places, such as restaurants, tea houses, etc. They are also inextricably connected with the underworld. Some of them are both rich people and officials. , or the boss of a certain underworld gang! So if they insist on resisting King Yan’s policy, I’m afraid..."
Yang Peng said: "What you said is very useful to me! Although I have felt it for a long time, I didn't expect that the power of the gentry and gentry in Sichuan is so huge and deep-rooted!" He smiled and said: "But don't worry too much! Sichuan is all It has been occupied by us, can't these problems be solved?" Seeing Yang Peng's relaxed attitude, the two couldn't help but feel that this problem seemed not difficult to solve, and they clasped their fists together and said, "The King of Yan is wise."
Yang Peng said categorically: "The New Deal must be implemented as soon as possible. No resistance can stop it!" He glanced at the two of them and said, "You two must set an example in your respective jurisdictions!" The two agreed in unison, but secretly drummed in their hearts.
Yu Qing asked: "King Yan, what should we do if those gentry and gentry refuse to implement the New Deal?" Yang Peng said: "Don't think too complicated about some issues, just do everything in accordance with the law. If those gentry and gentry pay taxes in accordance with regulations If they pay money and implement the New Deal, then they are law-abiding people. The government not only cannot harass them, but also protects them. On the contrary, if they insist on resisting the law, it is illegal. Since it is illegal, whatever should be done is done. If The problem cannot be solved by using the government officials and security forces, so you can ask the nearest army for assistance." The two of them clasped their fists and agreed, feeling very nervous. However, they were already riding a tiger and couldn't get off, so they could only bite the bullet and carry out the tasks assigned by King Yan. .
Yang Peng thought for a while and felt that nothing happened, so he said to the two of them: "You can go and take office." The two of them agreed, bowed to Yang Peng, and left. As soon as they came out, two secret guards came forward holding official seals and official robes and handed them to the two of them. When the two saw the official seal and official robe, they couldn't help but be excited. They felt as if they were reunited with old friends. They quickly bowed to the two secret guards, then stretched out their hands to receive it respectfully.
What happened after all, let’s see what happens next.
