Liu Zheng was trembling with fear as he came to Xie Tianyao's carriage for the first time.
Good guy...
This is simply an ancient RV!
Liu Zheng took a look, extremely luxurious, extremely luxurious! The entire carriage has all the configurations. There is a unique cave, magnificent. At this time, Xie Tianyao and Queen Zheng Fu were inside, burning incense and warming themselves by the fire.
Except these two people.
Several ministers and Manager Zhou were in the car.
At this time, everyone gave Liu Zheng a friendly smile.
The weather has arrived in October, and Liangzhou is still a bit cold. A group of people sat by the stove, burning wine and drinking, which was quite comfortable.
Queen...
As soon as he looked at the queen, Liu Zheng's head dropped a few percent. He did not dare to face the extremely complicated look in the queen Zheng Fu's eyes... The last time the queen returned to Liangzhou, Liu Zheng did not leave her with a good face, and her son , and even more difficult to deal with. Even now, there are rumors in the outside world that Liu Zheng and Prince Xie Fang are fighting fiercely. It is strange that the queen can like Liu Zheng.
"Liu Zheng meets the Holy Emperor and the Queen!"
"I have met you sirs!"
Xie Tianyao laughed and waved his hand: "Liu Zhizhou, you don't have to be polite. As I walked on your cement road today, I couldn't help but feel a little happy, so I called you here to talk to me."
Liu Zheng chuckled.
cement road?
You haven't seen it yet, but what about the new product I will launch soon, the asphalt road - this is already in Liu Zheng's plan. After all, if we already have oil, will asphalt be far behind?
Why are asphalt roads better than cement roads?
Take this ancient time as an example. If a carriage ran on a cement road, the horse's hooves would be damaged over time, but asphalt roads might be better.
An asphalt road with more elasticity and tension is Liu Zheng's ultimate goal.
It is more in line with his needs for marching and fighting in the future.
Queen Zheng Fu also smiled and said: "This carriage is really more stable. Liu Zhizhou has tinkered with a lot of things in the past two years."
Liu Zheng couldn't laugh or cry.
The queen spoke with hidden murderous intent. She said this deliberately because she wanted to point out that the Holy Emperor, as well as refined salt and other things, must not let go this time.
Xie Tianyao deliberately ignored it and said with a laugh: "That's not true. This Bai Yujing is the best wine in the world and can cure my headache!"
Everyone also praised him for his kindness.
At this time, the driver was getting closer and closer to Yangzhou.
A phenomenon that surprised everyone in the car occurred.
We were still in Liangzhou just now. Not to mention the bumpy road, the road was deserted and there were not many trees. At first glance, it is a typical Liangzhou scene.
But at this time...
Ever since I set foot on this concrete road, it felt like the world had changed.
There are two rows of lush trees on the roadside, neatly arranged. There is a post station three miles away, and no matter how bad it is, there is also a teahouse for passers-by to rest.
Along the way, although the emperor's command was to fortify the walls and clear the country, we could occasionally see merchants, horses and camels rushing on their way not far away.
Since entering Yangzhou, it has been a busy scene.
The clothes on the people's bodies were also clean and neat, and their faces were beaming with joy.
Anyway...
It feels like this place is full of life!
Xie Tianyao watched and felt quietly.
In fact, at this moment, he wished he could go for a walk and ask passers-by if all this was arranged by Liu Zhizhou and asked them to pretend.
But he didn't.
Because he knows.
The smiles and satisfactions that come from the heart on those people's faces are definitely not something that can be faked.
"Liu Zhizhou, come and tell me, your lords, why Yangzhou is so rich?"
Xie Tianyao suddenly laughed.
coming!
Liu Zheng, who had known for a long time that there would be such an exam, quickly handed over his hand and said: "Your Majesty, Yangzhou has many mines, including iron mines, gold mines, silver mines, and copper mines. It's just that the former county magistrate Lu Zhengyi didn't know how to develop. After the merger of Yangzhou and Yangzhou, the ministers regarded Yinzhou as a factory and Yangzhou as a mine, divided and conquered them, and managed them uniformly. Together with the household registration, they returned to Yinyang. From then on, Yinyang did not separate families and promoted each other, leading to today's situation. .”
"Okay! What a great Yin Yang family!"
Xie Tianyao's eyes flickered when he heard this: "Longyan's problem is that there are courts everywhere. There is a big court in Beijing, and small courts of the vassal kings. Even every state and county is a small court. There are courts everywhere. Who can treat me like this?" Does the imperial court take it seriously?"
Liu Zheng was so frightened.
When did the relationship between the Holy Emperor and himself reach the point where he dared to say anything?
He swallowed hard and dared not speak.
Xie Tianyao saw Liu Zheng's embarrassment and laughed and said: "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. That day you said I was old, why are you so cowardly? Today it's just a matter of chatting and talking freely, I won't blame you! Wen Aiqing, what do you think?"
Seeing other people's reactions, it was nothing. Only then did Liu Zheng realize that these people should be the old emperor's trusted team members.
The Wen Aiqing mentioned by Xie Tianyao is Wen Han, one of the three famous bachelors of the Hanlin Academy in the current imperial court!
There are three bachelors in the Hanlin Academy, one is Zhu Qing, the other is Liu Yu, and the other is Wen Han.
Liu Yu was killed in a head-on collision some time ago when he was remonstrating with the imperial examination.
Now, there are only two bachelors left in the Hanlin Academy, namely Zhu Qing and Wen Han. More importantly, as mentioned earlier, the Hanlin Academy of the Longyan Dynasty also divided into two factions with the passage of history. One is the outer court, which is dedicated to learning, and the other is the inner court, which is the emperor's real confidential personnel!
And this Wenhan is the bachelor in charge of the inner courtyard!
It can be seen that although this person usually keeps a low profile, he holds great power and is deeply trusted by the Holy One.
Wen Han glanced at Liu Zheng with a smile and said: "Liu Zhizhou's move is indeed convenient for local management, but it is not suitable for the Longyan Dynasty. Liu Zhizhou respects centralization of power, so it is difficult to govern a state, how about Longyan? "
Others nodded when they heard this.
Xie Tianyao looked at Liu Zheng with interest and a playful smile.
Liu Zheng smiled bitterly.
Is this taking Wenhan to test himself in the school?
If I lose my reputation today, who can guarantee that the uncertain Xie Tianyao will lose expectations of me and kill me with a knife...
But this Xie Tianyao thinks too highly of himself... This is Wen Han! All his life, he spent his time in the inner courtyard reading scriptures, studying politics, and governing the world.
What about yourself?
Hey, he’s just a twenty-three-year-old boy!
Forget it, let’s fight!
Thinking of this, he could only answer with a wry smile: "What Mr. Wen said is absolutely true. Today, there are many vassal kings, each working in their own way. Although the princes respect the emperor, they are secretly alienated. It is really difficult to achieve centralization of power. However, this is exactly what Long Yan is doing day by day. The biggest cause of decline! According to Wei Chen, no matter how history changes, centralization of power is the number one magic weapon to consolidate the stability of the world! Governing the world is like cooking fresh food! The sons of merchants can cook the state's food in a mere area of grass. Earth, the Holy One has great talents and great ideas, so what if he cooks up the whole world?"
"Okay! So what if one cooks the whole world! Queen, pour the wine!"
Xie Tianyao couldn't help but his eyes lit up and he patted his thigh.
Liu Zheng was startled, and quickly behaved himself, allowing the queen to pour him a glass of wine, and then expressed his gratitude.
Wen Han and others looked at each other in confusion.
What a sharp-tongued young man!
Wenhan continued to laugh and said: "Your Majesty, Longyan is a kingdom in the heavens. It has a vast territory. It is the general trend to divide and rule. Since ancient times, the emperor has been respected by the princes. If the princes do not respect him, he will not be the emperor. This is the destiny of the vassal kings! They are all distinguished and meritorious people who have made great contributions to the expansion of the territory of the Longyan Dynasty. The Longyan culture is solid and broadcast, all thanks to the vassal king!"
Others also agreed.
Liu Zheng smiled slightly.
This is the benefit of the enfeoffment system. In fact, in the history of Chinese civilization, no matter what dynasty or what system, the feudal system will appear. In the past, there was a simple enfeoffment system, a system of prefectures and counties, to the prefecture-state system of the Han Dynasty, until the fall of the Qing Dynasty, every dynasty had the shadow of the enfeoffment system. It was because the emperor felt that this would facilitate management, stabilize political order, and spread culture.
For the time being, these various variations of the feudal system are collectively referred to as the feudal system.
This is why many countries in ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad, like the feudal system.
Centralization has the advantages of centralization, which is consistency, stability and health. But similarly, centralized power also has disadvantages, and that is the hereditary system of the feudal dynasty. If there is a faint king, the whole world will really be over.
But the lord system has the advantage of the lord system, that is, even if they encounter a foolish king, if these lords are wise, they can still keep the people under their jurisdiction living and working in peace and contentment. It can even achieve the effect of imitating others, so that the entire world will not be devastated and devastated.
Of course, the disadvantages are also obvious, that is, being too independent, it is easy to separate one party and not listen to instructions, and it is easy to rise up because of excessive power.
so.
Of course what Wenhan said is correct...
only……
She didn't understand the thoughts of Liu Zheng who came from later generations.
Liu Zheng is a person who has seen "the world"...
He always believed that centralization of power was necessary. However, if you rely on the hereditary system, it will really be over... Therefore, if the hereditary system is to be abolished, it will be the real centralization of power!
Why?
Again, Liu Zheng always believes that social resources should be in the hands of elites, so that the entire society can develop. In the case of centralized power, leaders elected by a majority of the people can shoulder the historical responsibility of leading the entire society - they come to power after defeating political opponents one by one, and their vision and knowledge and overall view will naturally not be too low.
Do you really think...
After such a leader comes to power, will he be so narrow-minded that he only wants to make money?
Do you really think that such a leader, who dominates a country, really thinks about what interests he will pursue for his family every day?
No.
This is still a pattern issue.
When they stand at the top, what they have to consider is whether the whole world and themselves can leave a name in history, and whether they can lead this country to be strong and prosperous. Look down on the world.
That's why...
The successive emperors of the Longyan Dynasty would allow their princes to scheming, deceitful, and strife against each other.
Because they believe that only those who stand out in this kind of struggle are qualified to control this country! Only then are you qualified to sit on this throne!
However……
The hereditary system still limits these candidates to the royal family.
Such is the case today.
There is a prince Xie Fang, a third prince Xie Ling, the old emperor, no one can look down on them.
so.
In this situation.
Actually, there are two solutions. One is democracy - this is complete nonsense. The historical process has not yet developed to this point. The other is the cabinet system.
The emperor enjoyed himself in peace and contentment.
Form a cabinet and let the talents of the cabinet govern the world.
Delegate power!
Isn’t this the case with the Wanli Zhongxing of the Ming Dynasty?
Ming Shenzong had not been in power since he was a child. All major military and political affairs were handed over to Zhang Juzheng, who presided over the decision. He implemented a series of reform measures, sustained social and economic development, and successive military victories. The court showed a rejuvenating atmosphere, so it was called Wanli Zhongxing. Wanli did not go to court for many years, but the society was prosperous. But once he began to take charge of the government, he began to pay less attention to the court, built a lot of things, and spent extravagantly. Starting from the 24th year of Wanli, eunuchs were sent to various places to serve as mine supervisors and tax supervisors, searching endlessly and arousing people's resistance.
certainly.
Liu Zheng would never dare to say such a thing.
Because he knows.
Xie Tianyao is definitely not the kind of person who is willing to delegate power.
Therefore, he could only smile slightly: "What Mr. Wen said is still the old Huangli. The princes respected the emperor and were gifted with imperial power. This was already before the Zhou Dynasty. Since the Han Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu wanted to eliminate kings with different surnames and enfeoff children with the same surname. Since then, , the beginning of the family world. Many vassal kings in Longyan are all Xie family. Therefore, instead of saying 'rewards', it is better to say that they are the trustees of the Holy One! Since they are the trustees, why not accept it? "
"this……"
Wenhan's face changed slightly.
Others also looked at each other.
Xie Tianyao even laughed loudly: "Liu Zhizhou, you are really good at every word. In my opinion, there is no one more transparent than you in the world! Trustee, trustee, what a great trustee! Have another drink!"
Wen Han, an old senior, was still a little dissatisfied after being refuted by Liu Zheng many times, so he asked Liu Zheng: "How does Liu Zhizhou think it should be dealt with?"
As soon as these words came out, Xie Tianyao's face looked a little ugly.
Others were even more silent.
Lord Wen, Lord Wen...you really don't want to open any pot. Who doesn't know that it is difficult for the vassal king to withdraw and to recover his territory? It's because the imperial court is too dependent on these vassal kings, its finances are tight, and its military strength is stretched thin... But how can you ask this? Are you deliberately trying to bring shame on His Majesty’s face?
but.
Including Xie Tianyao, these people still looked at Liu Zheng, wondering how he would answer this heartbreaking question.
Who would have thought that Liu Zheng would also be willing to go all out? After these two cups of Bai Yujing, he still has some staying power! He burped, his eyes shining: "Territory exchange!"
boom!
Everyone's expressions changed drastically.
Wenhan was also so shocked that he almost fell to the ground.
Territory exchange!
Military power!
It has always been an important weapon of the country.
Isn't this the case with today's vassal king?
Since there is no way to withdraw the feudal clan.
Then let them exchange territories!
Qingzhou is replaced by Jingzhou, Yizhou is replaced by Jiangzhou, Hanzhong is replaced by Zhuozhou, and Jizhou is replaced by Yongzhou!
This way.
The foundations that these vassal kings have accumulated and managed in their territories for many years will be wiped out in an instant! What if we take away the army? If you want to win the hearts and minds of the people, you need more time to operate!
Wait until you are done with the business.
Keep changing!
Wenhan looked at Liu Zheng blankly.
This method...
Absolutely amazing! So bad!
Because today Xie Tianyao still has some control over the Longyan Dynasty. Although he couldn't withdraw the vassal because he was worried that the vassal king would cause rebellion...but what if he changed the territory?
What would you do if Qingzhou with a population of 5 million were replaced by Jingzhou with a population of 5 million?
Do you dare not agree?
The reward is still the same, I just changed the place for you. You can continue to go to Jingzhou, continue to be your prince, continue to tinker with your little court... You can also discuss it among yourselves, whether to bring troops or not. ? But how long will it take you to stabilize Jingzhou? How many factors will change during this period? During this period, how many of your own people can the Holy Spirit put in for you?
Over time...
The control of each vassal king over the local area is no longer what it used to be.
At this time, if the emperor had the means to centralize power, it would be easy!
ruthless!
poison!
Wenhan took a deep breath.
At this time, he no longer dared to underestimate the young man in front of him.
His control over the situation really surpassed that of many people.
This is also the only change that Xie Tianyao can make now!
As long as he doesn't die...if it's just a territory exchange, these vassal kings won't rebel. Of course, if he died and his son did this, the result would naturally be different.
The scene was deathly silent.
Wen Han gave a wry smile, picked up the wine glass, and toasted Liu Zheng.
"You all go down, Liu Zhizhou stays."
Xie Tianyao, after thinking for a moment, said lightly.
The queen, as well as the gang, were convinced and left one after another.
In the entire carriage, only Xie Tianyao, Manager Zhou, and Liu Zheng were left.
Xie Tianyao looked at Liu Zheng with twinkling eyes.
Just kept looking like that.
Liu Zheng was startled and quickly stood up and knelt on the ground without saying a word.
"Liu Zhizhou, I want you to promise me something!"
Xie Tianyao finally spoke coldly.
Liu Zheng said: "I will obey the orders of the Holy One!"
Xie Tianyao stared at him and said word by word: "I want you to swear to me that you will never want to be the emperor in this life!"
"What?"
Liu Zheng was shocked.
