The New Year is approaching, and even the festive atmosphere cannot ease the confrontation between the two factions in General Zhenglu's mansion.
If they get along, they will get together, if they don't get along, they will disperse. Seeing that they could not get Huan Xi's attention, some of the staff asked him to resign and decided to leave.
Huan Xi did not try to persuade him to stay, nor did he make things difficult for him. Instead, he generously gave him money. When he was leaving, he said with emotion:
“There is no personal grudge between us, it’s just different political views.
"Farewell today, may you all go your own way, find God as soon as possible, be able to show what you have learned, and never hate each other."
Everyone was reunited and dispersed. The resigned ministers felt Huan Xi's goodwill and naturally would not stay in Liangzhou to embarrass him. As Huan Xi said, they parted ways. Some went to Jiankang for help, while others chose to marry. Live in seclusion in the hut.
The reason is not the money given by Huan Xi, but that after he implemented the land equalization order, he controlled the people's hearts with his left hand and the military power with his right hand. Even local high-ranking families like Li, Zhao, and Cheng, who had been prosperous for hundreds of years, were You want to avoid their sharp edges, let alone other families.
After a group of people were sent away from the Zhenglu General's Mansion, Huan Xi followed Emperor Wu of Wei and issued an order to seek talents, claiming that only talent was sought, regardless of origin.
In today's Eastern Jin Dynasty, the selection and appointment of officials are following the nine-grade official law proposed by Chen Qun, the minister of Cao Wei, which places more emphasis on birth rather than talent. Therefore, there is a saying among the people that there are no poor families in the upper class and no noble families in the lower class.
This move aroused heated discussion among the people, and every day many students from poor families came to the General's Mansion to recommend themselves.
Among them, of course, there are the children of common people from the gentry clan.
There are also three, six or nine levels among the noble families. For example, the Li family of Nanzheng cannot be compared with the Wang family of Langya, and the differences within the family are even more obvious.
Huan Xi did not use the Liangzhou faction, not simply to defend against the locals, but because he knew that since he wanted to reform, he could not let those with vested interests implement it.
Nowadays, Huan Xi attaches great importance to the concubines and the children from poor families. He personally checks the situation and conducts strict assessments. However, he has also selected a group of competent ministers and has great trust in them.
With the addition of new blood, the factions in Zhenglu General Mansion can no longer be simply divided into Jingzhou Faction and Liangzhou Faction.
It would be more appropriate to call them reformers and die-hards.
When Zhao She returned to Hanzhong, the factional struggle in the shogunate finally eased.
In the final analysis, the factional struggle to conquer the shogunate was actually a struggle between the Liangzhou gentry and Huan Xi.
When they discovered that even giving up the challenge could not change Huan Xi's mind, they already knew that they did not have the ability to force Huan Xi to give in.
Instead of maintaining a meaningless confrontation, it is better to take the initiative to ease the relationship and wait for Huan Xi to leave Liangzhou in the future.
The noble nobles, faced with the cruel reality, could only lower their heads and swallow their anger.
In Hanzhong, conquer the general's mansion.
Zhao She presented the letter with both hands. He nervously paid attention to Huan Xi's expression when he read the letter. He saw that the other person's frowning brows relaxed, and Zhao She couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.
Wang Meng's words in the letter were extremely polite. He just said that he was ill and should not travel far, and begged Huan Xi for forgiveness.
Huan Xi put the letter away and looked at Zhao She:
"It's really a big thank you to you for bringing me Mr. Wang's letters during this trip."
Zhao She hurriedly said:
"How dare you claim that Zhao is working hard for the general? He just regrets that he failed to invite the prince for the general."
Huan Xi nodded and said:
"I still have to ask you to go to Huashan to deliver a letter for me. Are you willing to go?"
Although the journey was tiring, Zhao She agreed immediately:
"Xiaomin will set off immediately."
Huan Xi immediately asked for pen, ink, paper and inkstone to record the decrees he promulgated in Liangzhou and some subsequent policy ideas one by one. At the end, he asked Wang Meng for his views and asked for his corrections.
Zhao She didn't even have time to rest. He hurriedly returned home to see his family and then set off again. The reason why he was so eager was just because Huan Xi said that if he could bring back Wang Meng's reply, he would be given an official position.
Although he was only an assistant, it was undoubtedly a class jump for Zhao She.
On the first day of the first lunar month in the fifth year of Yonghe (AD 349), Jingzhou, Jiangling.
On the occasion of the New Year, Huan Wen, the general of the Western Conquest, became interested and took Xi Chao and other close associates with him to visit various villages in Jiangling incognito under the covert protection of his guards.
In the distance, several young children happily sang nursery rhymes from Liangzhou.
Heng Wen looked back at Xi Chao and said angrily:
"Xi'er acts regardless of the consequences and only seeks pleasure. If I had known what happened, I should not have allowed him to have exclusive power."
It turns out that since Huan Xi promulgated the land equalization order, the Jiangnan gentry have been uneasy, fearing that Huan Wen would follow suit and implement the land equalization system in Jingzhou.
Later, Huan Xi issued an order seeking talents, which aroused criticism from the Jiangnan nobles.
If it had not been for Huan Wen to bear the pressure for him, he would have been transferred out of Liangzhou long ago and would have been on the bench ever since.
Xi Chao comforted him and said:
"Although there are some minor disturbances, they are expected and no major trouble will occur.
"Furthermore, the land equalization system is indeed a good law. With this order, the young master can enrich the household registration and win the hearts of the people.
"In the future, my lord will make an expedition to the north, and Liangzhou will be of great use.
"As for the order to seek talents, in troubled times, we should naturally recruit talents, so how can we stick to the rules because of family status."
Huan Wen knew that Xi Chao and Huan Xi had a deep relationship, so he shook his head and said:
"It's all in vain for me to talk to you about this. Jing Xing, you are now the boss of my general's palace to conquer the west, not serving in Hanzhong."
Xi Chao quickly explained:
“Young Master carries out reforms with the aim of having enough soldiers and food to contribute to the Lord’s hegemony.
"There is no such thing as getting something for nothing in this world. The Lord should protect the Young Master from the wind and rain.
"Young Master has shown me the kindness of knowing me and meeting me. I am deeply touched by it. How can I forget it?"
"But what I said today has nothing to do with personal friendship. They are all Xi's words from the bottom of my heart. Please be careful, my lord."
Huan Wen smiled and said:
"I was just joking with Jingxing. Xi'er and I are close relatives, so how could I be suspicious of your relationship?"
While the two were talking, a carriage drove into Jiangling. It was Wang Tanzhi who came to take office in response to Huanwen's expedition.
Wang Tanzhi was not from the Langya Wang family, but a descendant of the Taiyuan Wang family.
He originally served as a doctor in the shogunate of King Sima Yu of Kuaiji, but because Huan Wen heard about his reputation, he forcibly conquered Jiangling.
When Wang Tanzhi was young, he was as famous as Xi Chao. The proverb of the time praised him as: "Xi Jingxi is the most virtuous, and Wang Wendu is the only one in Jiangdong."
However, Wang Tanzhi's face in the carriage was solemn, and he did not look forward to meeting Huan Wen at all.
When Huan Wen conquered Wang Tan, he also sent a letter asking his second son Huan Ji to marry Wang Tanzhi's daughter.
Wang Tanzhi discussed the matter with his father Wang Shu. Wang Shu was furious and scolded Wang Tanzhi. He called Huan Ji a soldier's son and flatly refused the marriage.
Of course, just find an excuse to get rid of this kind of thing. What really made Wang Tanzhi uneasy was Huan Xi's series of actions in Liangzhou.
