On the first day of May in the twenty-fifth year of Zhenyuan, Di Bao, which published "Ten Strategies for Making the People Rich and the Country Strong", was already on its way to all parts of the country. At the same time, the imperial court also stepped up the investigation and punishment of corrupt officials. intensity.
The quota for Jinshi in the civil and military examinations was also increased. From then on, the imperial examinations were really determined by the civil and military examinations. Similarly, both the civil and military examinations had the top score, and they were also awarded the same status as Jinshi.
Some officials were also promoted in an exceptional manner, and some celebrities were directly appointed.
In short, after the Anxi Protectorate was established, the Jinyiwei established a network with the capital as the center, intensified efforts to investigate officials of all levels in various places, and also secretly collected reports and other methods to investigate and deal with a group of corrupt officials. , Daqian is really short of scholars now.
Xiao Yi promoted many scholars from poor families, and then appointed those from aristocratic families to govern in local areas.
There is nothing we can do about this.
There are only so many scholars, and there are quite a few who have no ability and are just complete nerds.
Not long after taking office, the local government was in a mess.
This is also inevitable.
Why is ban required?
In fact, this is also a way to screen talents, and it is also a relatively convenient way.
But now, there is really a shortage of people. We can only take out mules or horses for a walk first.
If the ability is insufficient, then just replace him.
If you have strong abilities, you can promote them directly.
Han Shizhong was in the Protectorate of Anxi, Yao Chong was on Hedong Road, Di Qing was in the Protectorate of Anbei, Xin Qiji was in Jinyang, and Wang Jiefu was on Longyou Road.
After that, Wei Yuanzhong and Yu Yunwen, who had completed "History of Xixia", would also go to the Anxi Protectorate.
In this way, the Anxi Protectorate has capable ministers in charge. Wei Yuanzhong and Yu Yunwen are responsible for civil servants and internal affairs, and Han Shizhong is responsible for generals, border defense, and internal stability.
Lou Shide entered the Ministry of Personnel and was responsible for conferring awards.
That is to say, from now on, the promotion of generals and officials in Anxi Protectorate and Anbei Protectorate will all go through the hands of Lou Shide.
As for whether the political plan will cause problems.
It must be understood that a political plan is just a political plan after all. Even if a political plan looks good and sounds good, it is still likely to turn out badly in practice, and may even cause disaster for the country and the people.
But again, just because the road ahead is unknown, don’t you just cross the river by feeling the stones, stick to the rules, and pursue pleasure?
Xiao Yi has shouted that he wants to create peace for all generations, but this peace is not about recuperating and waiting for the arrival of the prosperous age.
The reforms of abolishing the prime minister, establishing new schools, implementing new policies, pacifying Xixia, and building Jinyiwei to supervise all officials have also achieved great results.
Jin Yiwei's action in cracking down on corrupt officials has made everyone in the world applaud.
Xiao Yi never regarded Jin Yiwei as a knife in his hand, and he could kill whoever he wanted.
Jin Yiwei is indeed a double-edged sword.
But at this stage, this sword is very useful.
In the future, we will find ways to restrict Jin Yiwei's powers and establish a separation of powers.
It’s mid-May, after the beginning of summer, and the weather is getting hotter and hotter.
In the early morning of that day, Prince Xiao Yi of the Imperial Guard had finished his routine of shooting arrows in the East Courtyard and practicing the three-pointed, two-edged sword and long sword skills. He was sweating slightly, but he was not in a hurry to go to the bathhouse in the East Courtyard. Instead, he turned to Xinggang in Xiyuan to rest for a while.
As soon as he boarded Xinggang and sat down in the thatched pavilion on the hill, Lu Chong led a team of East Palace guards to protect Eunuch Huaiji and piled dozens of secret boxes beside Xiao Yi. Then someone else immediately The pen and ink were arranged in the pavilion.
Seeing this, Xiao Yi shook his head and smiled bitterly: "I originally wanted to hide from these zazi, but I can't hide here even if I don't want to."
Of course Lu Chong was embarrassed when he heard this, but he could only ask cautiously: "I am scared, do you want to return the secret letters to the stone pavilion?"
"No need." Xiao Yi shook his head in reply, reaching out to Lu Chong as he went to get the pen.
"This is a rule set by Gu, so it's better to abide by it."
Seeing His Highness the Prince's signal, the others, including Lu Chong, retreated a few steps. Only eunuch Huaiji immediately opened the secret code box with his own hands and handed the secret code to Xiao Yi to see.
And Xiao Yi responded and gave instructions on those secret letters on the spot.
Since it was a secret letter and it was delivered so early, it was naturally a relatively urgent and important matter.
However, since the first half of this year, except for the rebellion of Liu Zhu and Zhao Xuanjia, there has actually been no major incident.
The rebellion of these two people was not quickly put down like that of Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, and Li Yuan.
One is because the continuous battles on the Forbidden Army's side are indeed very hard, and I feel a little out of breath up and down.
The second reason is because there must be a choice between the two traitors, Anxi Protectorate and Zhao Liu.
The Anxi Protectorate is naturally more important to Daqian.
The two rebels Zhao and Liu were defeated one after another by Xiao Zheng at the beginning. Now they failed to conquer the capital and lost the opportunity. They are no longer in the best position.
Yue Hongling only led two armies, plus An Zijun's Xiaowei army, and was able to stop Zhao and Liu.
From time to time there will be battle reports coming.
There are many people asking for credit in this secret letter.
One is for the imperial army to resist the rebels Zhao Liulian, and there are also more than a dozen officials who have been activated to govern Anxi and Anbei.
Another one is that everyone's focus is on the small-scale military expansion. This is a relatively simple matter that has mature conditions and involves a lot of interests.
As a result, these secret letters and memorials really came one after another, and their contents were diverse.
For example, several generals of the Forbidden Army wrote letters saying how critical the place where their headquarters was stationed was, how powerful the enemy in front of them was, and how stretched their troops were. At the same time, it happened that their troops were so capable of fighting in the past, and how they could fight with so few. So many, so many outstanding achievements... In a word, this is to obtain more posts for the headquarters to expand the army.
What is interesting about this is that when military generals compete for positions in various departments, they always do not forget to stumbling upon their opponents, intentionally or unintentionally, implying how incompetent the other armies are.
However, the civil servants were almost unanimous in their stance and were exceptionally united.
They said that the local public security had returned to normal. There were government officials in the yamen, and there were still soldiers on guard in the local area. There was no need to station more forbidden troops.
After the arrival of these forbidden troops, they also had disputes with the Xiang army, which was even more detrimental to local governance.
In addition, the local food supply is not sufficient, and it is really overwhelming to serve as part of the food supply for the Forbidden Army.
Obviously, at this time, there was a confrontation between civilian officials and military generals.
This situation is also very simple, that is, it is more difficult for civil servants to be promoted now. Many idle positions have been abolished, a hierarchical management and promotion system has been implemented, and the treatment they enjoy is no longer the same as before. If you hang some idle positions, you can Eat several portions of salary.
Of course, the current salary is actually very good and has improved a lot.
However, people's hearts are never satisfied.
In addition, another thing is that in the past year or so, there have been many wars, and the generals have been promoted very quickly. With a few more battles, generals like Yue Hongling can be promoted to the position of Duke, and then higher up, that is, the king of the county. .
In other words, there may be two county kings in the Yue family in the future.
Of course, Yue Shan only has one daughter, Yue Hongling, and since Yue Shan has no adopted son, his title of Yong'an County Prince will probably not be passed down.
Generally speaking, military generals are promoted relatively quickly, and may even reach the stage of being crowned kings.
This made the civil servants somewhat fearful. At the same time, they were also instructed by someone to deliberately create confrontation.
Otherwise, if military generals win a game, they will be promoted once. If there is no one to suppress them, they must be arrogant and arrogant.
After breakfast, Xiao Yi summoned Guo Ziyi and continued to inquire about military expansion.
Guo Ziyi cupped his hands and said: "Your Highness... First, should we expand the army on land or on water? Expanding on land will make it easier to guard the Anxi Protectorate and Anbei Protectorate. It can also further march into Hanzhong and control the land in central Shu; On the water, it will be convenient for maritime merchants to sail, and in the future, they can also go straight to Huanglong from the Bohai Sea."
"Second, whether to expand the cavalry or to expand the foot, the rider is to attack, the foot is to defend."
"Third, the north of Beijing is still in Guanxi. The heavy troops in Guanxi are to capture Shuzhong, while in the north of Guanxi they can defend the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty."
"Fourth, should we use veteran generals or promote them from below... And should we fill the vacancies after promotion with lower-level Forbidden Army officers or with military examinations?"
Xiao Yi thought for a while and said: "The waterway must be expanded, and you have also seen the interests of maritime merchants. As the number of merchant ships increases and they sail farther and farther, they need the escort of the navy. This escort also allows the maritime merchants to pay an extra escort fee, which can also supplement the navy's military pay and keep the vast maritime merchants safe."
"If we're on land, it's natural to have cavalry. With the Anxi Protectorate, we should be able to have a group of war horses after this fall."
"The cavalry is good at charging, and its marching speed is faster and its flexibility is relatively high."
"The showdown with Meng Yuan will ultimately be dominated by cavalry, with cavalry and combat cavalry, plus artillery, that will be enough."
"The places to expand the army are the Anxi Protectorate and the Anbei Protectorate. It is equivalent to directly placing the Imperial Guards on both sides of the Meng and Yuan Dynasties. With such a deterrent, the Meng Yuan Dynasty does not have a foolproof strategy and will not go south easily, so it can Create a containment."
"The land in the middle of Shu will naturally be taken back. How can the capital of Tianfu remain in the hands of thieves and bandits?"
"As for the officers, they are naturally promoted from below. Those with meritorious service are selected from the Forbidden Army. The vacancies at the grassroots level after promotion should be filled first from the military examinations."
Guo Ziyi bowed and said, "Here."
After Guo Ziyi withdrew, Xiao Yi found Wang Zhongsi, the commander in chief of the palace, who had also received guidance from Yue Shan.
Asked the same question.
Wang Zhongsi’s answer was similar.
Then, Xiao Yi left in person and went to the Prince's Mansion of Yong'an County.
Personally visit Wang Yueshan of Yongan County.
Ask about the future expansion of the military and Daqian's future military layout.
Xiao Yi knew that even though he had five thousand years of cultural influence, his personal abilities were still limited, his knowledge was not that broad, and his cognition also had certain deviations.
Being able to speak well and accept advice is also a skill that a qualified emperor should have.
Yue Shan, the military god of the Great Qian Dynasty, is not in vain.
Similarly, Yue Shan also gave his answer.
After summarizing it, Xiao Yi had a mature idea.
…
"Commander."
"There is no need to be polite. You have returned from Hanzhong. Can you handle things for His Highness?"
Xu Yuanshu said: "It's done."
Xu Yuanshu followed Xiao Yi in the battle at Phoenix Ridge and served as a strategist, and he indeed had some talents.
This time, he was placed next to Yue Hongling again.
Because when the Imperial Guards of the Great Qian Dynasty fought against Xixia, the losses were still quite high.
The two armies of Xin Qiji and Di Qing were guarding the north, with only the elite of the Long Guard Army and the Yulin Army.
Including An Zijun's Xiaowei army, the total number of troops is only 110,000 or 20,000.
On the other hand, Liu Zhu and Zhao Xuanjia's troops were relatively strong.
Shuzhong and Jingzhou are both wealthy places. There is no shortage of food, and they can support an army of hundreds of thousands.
If Xiao Zheng hadn't taken action, the coalition forces of Liu Zhu and Zhao Xuanjia would have been defeated and suffered heavy losses.
This time, Yue Hongling and An Zijun may not stop Zhao Xuanjia and Liu Zhu easily.
Yue Hongling listened to Xu Yuanshu's return and said, "Zhang Lu is really willing to help?"
"Yes, he said it was for the sake of national justice."
"It's fake. Liu Zhu is the governor of Hanzhong. In order to control Hanzhong, he squeezed out Zhang Lu, the largest family in Hanzhong."
"This is equivalent to being an enemy."
Xu Yuanshu said: "Commander, the more powerful Da Qian is now, the more aristocratic families in Shu will be unable to sit still."
"I used to want to become a follower of the dragon, but now I see that Liu Zhu is unlikely to become powerful, so naturally I want to save my life."
"Um."
"Whatever." Yue Hongling didn't care too much about how Hanzhong's aristocratic family could become a mere wallflower. After thinking about it, she muttered: "The alliance between Liu Zhu and Zhao Xuanjia is not unbreakable, especially now. They all want to save their lives."
"If you push them too hard, they may become twisted into a tightrope."
"It's better to have a stalemate like this and let them get into trouble first."
Xu Yuanshu cupped his hands and said: "What the Marshal said is absolutely true, especially since the aristocratic families in Hanzhong have become restless. Liu Zhu's rear is unstable and will surely suffer backlash."
"Once Liu Zhu withdraws, Zhao Xuanjia will be unable to support himself."
Yue Hongling nodded, deeply convinced.
Because of the geographical location of Shuzhong, the imperial court's control over Shuzhong was still relatively weak.
After Li Linfu took control of the court, Liu Zhu took complete control of the entire Shu.
The imperial court did not arrange for anyone to contact officials in Shu privately, or the aristocratic families in Shu.
Even the appointment and dismissal of these officials have already been decided by Liu Zhu.
When the officials of the imperial court arrived in Shuzhong, most of them encountered bandits and horse bandits on the way.
So much so that later on, no one dared to go to Shuzhong.
Now, Xu Yuanshu was able to go to Shuzhong and contact people from aristocratic families because Dongchang's spies had already explored some roads ahead.
Since the establishment of Dongchang, Xiao Yi has intentionally asked the Sanbao eunuchs to pay more attention to Shuzhong, Jingzhou and other places. In particular, the five princes must have spies around them, as well as several eunuchs. Arrange them if they can, and if they cannot Make arrangements and try your best to know their movements.
Just a few days.
Liu Zhu got the news that there was civil strife in Shu.
Zhang Lu, Liu Zhang, Xue Ju and others united to rebel and attacked Hanzhong under the slogan of suppressing Liu's thieves.
Wei Yan, the guard general of Hanzhong, reported with fast men and horses, asking Liu Zhu to come back for reinforcements.
"Brother Zhao, your energy is not exhausted yet!"
When they got the news, Liu Zhu and Zhao Xuanjia were discussing how to break through the imperial army of Yue Hongling and An Zijun, so as to march to the capital together.
Or should we directly release the news to obey His Highness King Yan and use his name to force him to join in the uprising.
If you can't become emperor, you can only save your life.
His Highness King Yan may not let them go after the incident, but before anything happens, King Yan will definitely still have to rely on them.
Unexpectedly, before the two of them made a decision, Shuzhong was in chaos.
This mess.
Liu Zhu naturally wanted to go back and take charge of the overall situation.
Shuzhong is his rear area. Without Shuzhong, he will have no place to stay in the future, just like a bereaved dog.
Naturally, Zhao Xuanjia couldn't stop Liu Zhu.
Now.
In fact, whether they rebel or not, the difference is not big.
All are dead.
Who would have thought that a figure like Xiao Yi, the prison prince, could appear in Daqian?
Not exhausted yet.
I really have not exhausted my energy!
If I had known this, I would have just been a prefect, waiting for the prince to make a big splash.
Maybe he can be crowned the king of Daqian in the future.
Now he has to be a lost dog.
The only solution for now is to retreat to Jingzhou.
When Liu Zhu retreated, he was naturally unable to support himself. It was impossible for him to stand at this pass and stop Yue Hongling by himself.
This is not very realistic.
The fifth day of May.
That is the day of Dragon Boat Festival.
Liu Zhu took Ma Chao and Li Yan to retreat and returned to Shuzhong to put down the rebellion.
However, Yue Hongling followed closely.
The same goes for Zhao Xuanjia, who withdrew to Jingzhou with Shi Shouxin and others, but was closely pursued by An Zijun.
at the same time.
The expansion of the Daqian Forbidden Army is also proceeding simultaneously.
The places disturbed by Liu Zhu and Zhao Xuanjia have also recovered their livelihoods.
These places also need some talented officials to manage them, otherwise, they may still be the same as before.
Xiao Yi looked at the map for a long time. Judging from Daqian's current situation, it seemed that he was under a lot of pressure, but it was actually very clear.
He personally conquered the Meng Yuan Dynasty, and Xiao Zheng personally conquered the Northern Yan Dynasty.
But under this premise, it is to solve all the unstable factors in Daqian.
However, there were Liu Zhu, Zhao Xuanjia, and the princes Ning Wang, Jin Wang, and Kang Wang. They seemed harmless, but the rebellion of several prefects had their shadow.
It can be seen that the situation is by no means so smooth.
In addition, there is also control over the Anxi Protectorate and the Anbei Protectorate, which are not that strong.
The Anxi Protectorate was okay, but Li Qianshun's escape was a shame for the Dangxiang people and the people of Xixia, and it was a feeling of abandonment.
And Daqian's current benevolent government can definitely allow them to live a good life.
Another thing is that Fanqi was included in the Forbidden Army. Even if someone wanted to resist, he did not have strong troops in his hands.
There is only one Anbei Protectorate, and it is still a burden.
This was originally a burden thrown by Meng Yuan and Beiyan to Da Gan. For the sake of justice, Xiao Yi had to do without it.
Only by managing the Anbei Protectorate well can we leave a good impression on the people of Meng Yuan and Bei Yan.
