The collapse of Jiaodong County was undoubtedly a great joy for Cao Cao.
On one side, the Xiahou brothers led their troops to pursue and gather the surrendered soldiers; on the other side, Cao Ren and Gong Du led their troops to attack Jiaodong County.
In just an hour, Cao Cao captured Jiaodong City with more than 700,000 Yellow Turban troops.
Sitting in the lobby of the government office, Cao Cao looked at the surrendered generals, feeling both happy and having a headache.
Even if some escaped and were killed, the number of "Yellow Turban Army" who surrendered to him still amounted to more than 300,000, and most of them were old, weak, women and children.
With so many mouths, how could Cao Cao get so much food?
With a happy expression on his face, Cao Cao accepted the surrender of the Yellow Turban Army. When he returned to the back hall, he said to Guo Jia with a headache: "Fengxiao, if this continues, I might be the one who collapses."
More than 300,000 people consume countless amounts of money and food every day. Even though Cao Cao quietly ordered the Xiahoudun brothers to go around to 'raise things', there was still a big gap.
As for the imperial court, what Zhu Jun could provide was even a drop in the bucket.
Guo Jia was lying on the soft couch, drinking lightly, and glanced at He Yi from the corner of his eye.
Cao Cao's eyes moved slightly, he patted his forehead with one hand, and sighed: "I'm confused. Feng Xiao is not good at this. I'll ask someone else."
As the chief secretary of 'General Wuwei', how could He Yi accept his general asking others, and said quickly: "General, in fact, it is not impossible."
"Oh?" Cao Cao was about to stand up, but after hearing this, he sat back and said, "What can the chief do?"
He Yi hesitated and said: "There are some wealthy families in Donglai County who still have a lot of reserves."
Cao Cao's expression remained motionless, with a thoughtful look on his face.
Guo Jia took a sip of wine, laughed, and said, "Are these the nobles who were connected with the Yellow Turban Army and were able to survive?"
He Yi was startled, then looked at Guo Jia and nodded reluctantly.
Not only in Donglai County, but in fact, there are countless people in the entire Han Dynasty who are secretly connected with the Yellow Turban Army.
Some are secretly supporting and profiting from it; some have no choice but to pay money to protect themselves; and some are half-covering it up, with children of the family filling them.
This is the fact, but Guo Jia's reminder clearly meant something.
Cao Cao's narrow eyes flashed endlessly.
He understood what Guo Jia meant. The only thing he needed to worry about was that the network of relationships between these noble families was complicated. Once they were tricked into the court, the consequences would be disastrous.
Cao Cao didn't say anything. He sat for a while and then got up and went out.
Jiaodong has just been settled, and there are still many things to be busy with.
At night, when the situation had calmed down, He Yi had a bunch of documents in his hands and was busy with his feet. He found Cao Cao in a prison in the city and said, "General, Kong Rong has arrived in Pingshou."
Cao Cao didn't care and was reading the sentences of these people in prison.
He Yi waited for a while and said: "General, there are people from the aristocratic families in Beihai and Donglai who want to see you."
"Are there any famous people?" Cao Cao asked without raising his head.
He is not what he used to be.
At first, he brought money and visited all the people in Luoyang City. As a result, almost everyone despised him as an eunuch, and no one was willing to help him.
But now, Cao Cao has the qualifications to be selected, and ordinary people cannot enter his 'shogunate'.
"There are some, and they are all quite famous." He Yi said.
As Cao Cao's chief secretary, he is now doing his best to recruit talents for Cao Cao.
Cao Cao handed the case file to the guard beside him, walked out, and said, "What do you mean by filial piety?"
He Yi hurriedly followed and said, "The military advisor said they are all just losers."
Cao Cao laughed loudly and said, "Fengxiao's vision is too high. Please make preparations and hold a banquet tonight."
He Yi responded and then said: "General, the Yellow Turban Army in Donglai County seems to be gathering."
Cao Cao's expression suddenly turned cold, he strode forward and said: "Let Yuan Rang, Miaocai come to see me."
"Let's go now." He Yi knew that Cao Cao was about to send troops.
While Cao Cao was busy recruiting talents and arranging the settlement of the surrendered Yellow Turban Army, he was also busy training the new army and preparing to conquer Donglai County.
Cang County, Jinan State.
Cao Cao was busy sharpening his sword, and Zhu Jun was also very busy as the Qingzhou Shepherd.
Without the pressure of the Yellow Turban Army, Zhu Jun focused his attention on summer harvest and planting, and even personally visited various prefectures and counties in an effort to restore people's livelihood.
At this moment, Zhu Jun, dressed in regular clothes, was inspecting people's fields during the summer harvest.
As one of the "Three Heroes", Zhu Jun's personality is very different from that of Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song. He has a long and slender face, habitually raising his face slightly, and his expression is like that of a teacher, very stern and not angry.
After walking around for a long time, Zhu Jun looked at the farmland with solemn eyes and his hands behind his back.
Due to the rampant plunder of the Yellow Turban Army, there were few intact areas in Qingzhou, and there were only a handful of acres of land that could be safely harvested.
A middle-aged staff member behind him looked at his expression, knew that he was worried, and comforted him: "Your Majesty, the imperial court has sent more than 100,000 troops to various places. The rebels in various places are retreating steadily. The signs of ZTE have been revealed, so there is no need to worry. "
Zhu Jun looked unmoved, clasped his hands behind his back and said, "The imperial court has lost its courage."
The staff member did not answer, knowing what he was referring to.
From Zhu Jun's point of view, the imperial court could do many things, but it was perfunctory, delayed, and wasted many opportunities.
After waiting for a long time, the staff looked hesitant and lowered his voice. He said: "Your Majesty, Cao Cao recruited nearly one million Yellow Turban troops in Beihai Kingdom and gained tens of thousands of young men. He cultivated fields and appointed officials in Beihai Kingdom. If you do your own thing, if things go on like this, your subordinates will fear that Cao Cao may be Dong Zhuo's second best."
Zhu Jun remained motionless, his expression became more severe, and he said, "What do you think we should do?"
The staff observed Zhu Jun's face and said tentatively: "The lower official thought that in the name of reward, he recruited him to Jinan and then took away his military power!"
Zhu Jun looked at him out of the corner of his eye and said: "Everyone in the government and the public knows that Cao Cao is your Majesty's favorite general. I took away his military power without any reason. In the eyes of your Majesty and the court, it is no different than treason."
The staff seemed to feel that Zhu Jun was tempted, and said quickly: "With hundreds of thousands of troops in hand, the court, not even His Majesty, will be worried."
There were more than 100,000 troops. There were not so many troops in the entire Han Dynasty.
"Not urgent."
Zhu Jun said something, turned around and walked back, saying: "There is a document from the Shangshutai. All counties in Qingzhou are free of money and food for one year. All the money collected will be used to relieve the victims, and part of it will be allocated to Cao Cao."
The staff was puzzled and followed up: "Your Majesty, over there in Beihai, there are hundreds of people impeaching Cao Cao for commanding troops to plunder and massacre people. Do you still need to give him money and food?"
Zhu Jun didn't say anything and got directly into the carriage.
The staff was very confused. His envoys had not reacted this way in the past.
At the same time, Luoyang City and the Imperial Palace.
In the courtyard of Jingfu Palace, Liu Bian rode a horse, fighting hard and galloping around the courtyard.
Pan Yin watched with fear, fearing that Liu Bian would fall.
Liu Bian is not one of those strong generals who can stand up after falling off his horse. It is common for ordinary people to fall to death!
Not far away, Tang Ji and Cai Wenji were pregnant. They were equally worried and did not dare to talk at this time.
There was a scorching sun above his head. Liu Bian was covered in sweat and still had no intention of stopping.
"Drive!"
Liu Bian looked excited and flew into the wind, his heart full of pride, like a charging general.
At this moment, Yang Biao, Wang Yun, Xun You, and Xun Yu came out of the chancery and discussed as they walked.
Yang Biao's fat face tightened and he said, "Liu Yan sent troops to Jingzhou?"
Xun You shook his head and said: "The news is not accurate yet. I just went to Dahonglu to see Liu Zhang. He didn't know anything about it. I think it must be true."
Wang Yun snorted coldly and said, "I think we can order Sun Jian, the governor of Hanzhong, to send troops to Shu!"
Xun You was startled and said quickly: "My lord, you must not do it. On the face of it, Liu Yanming still respects the imperial court."
Wang Yun looked indifferent, his eyes flashed with coldness, and said: "Then I must give him a warning!"
Xun You didn't dwell on this. He glanced at Yang Biao as he walked and said, "Prime Minister, has Yuan Shu sent troops to Jiaozhi?"
Yang Biao frowned and said with a serious look on his face: "It's just a letter, so I can't tell for sure. There is no copy of Zhu Fu's memorial yet, so no one can tell what the situation is."
Yuan Shu easily occupied Jingzhou. The life and death of Wang Rui, the governor of Jingzhou, was unknown, and the road from Jiaozhi to Luoyang was cut off. Therefore, the chancellor knew nothing about Jingzhou and Jiaozhi, and was confused.
Wang Yun, Xun You and others also looked worried.
Cao Yin, the prefect of Wuling, suddenly sent out a false message and attacked Wang Rui, causing chaos in Jingzhou. Yuan Shu took the opportunity to occupy Jingzhou. This sudden change was unexpected for them.
"The good news is that General Wuwei has pacified Qingzhou." Xun Yu suddenly spoke.
Wang Yun glanced at him, his indifferent face even more indifferent.
He was already wary of Cao Cao. Now Cao Cao had an army of hundreds of thousands, which was already the largest among all the leading generals and state herders in the Han Dynasty.
Of course, not only Wang Yun, but also many people in the court expressed their "concern" about Cao Cao, hoping that the court would remove his military power as soon as possible to avoid "supporting the troops to respect themselves", "self-reliant", and "threatening the country".
Yang Biao walked in the front, with a big belly and a fat face like iron. He said: "Dong Zhuo has occupied Langya County and is eyeing Pengcheng Kingdom and Xiapi. Should we take some measures?"
Xun You glanced at the back of his head and muttered: "Yuan Shao was still fighting fiercely with Zhang He in Jiujiang County, but failed to break it for three months. If you want to support him, Gongsun Zan in Runan, Xu Rong in Shanyang County, and Cao Cao of Qingzhou."
Wang Yun saw Jingfu Palace in sight and said, "I heard that the Black Mountain Army has entered Jizhou again?"
During the summer harvest, the Yellow Turban Army was most active everywhere.
Xun You nodded and said: "There are also changes in Wuhuan and Xianbei. Messengers from Sanqiang came to ask for money and food from the imperial court."
dong dong dong
After Xun You finished speaking, several people happened to take a few steps and heard the sound of horse hooves coming from Jingfu Hall.
Suddenly clear and suddenly far away.
The four of them looked at each other, stopped talking, and strode to the door of Jingfu Hall.
The guards did not stop them and allowed the four people to go in. When they saw Liu Bian galloping on his horse, he was soaked all over and his long hair was flying.
The four of them were shocked and couldn't help but look at each other.
Liu Bian turned in front of them, reined in his horse, and laughed loudly: "Everyone, please go inside and cool off for a while. I will ride two more laps."
The four of them bowed and watched Liu Bian pass in front of them.
Wang Yun suddenly felt a thump in his heart and had a bad premonition, so he lost his voice and said, "Your Majesty doesn't want to go on a personal expedition again, does he?"
Yang Biao, Xun You, and Xun Yu all changed their colors when they heard this, and then looked at Liu Bian uneasily.
The last time Liu Bian went on a personal expedition to Bingzhou, he was besieged by the Xiongnu in Shangdang, which frightened Luoyang City. If Liu Bian went on a personal expedition again, how could the officials of Luoyang City endure it?
Wang Yun glanced at the other three people and was already thinking about the wording of his advice.
The other three people stood still and did not go to the room to cool down for a while, waiting quietly for Liu Bian to finish.
Liu Bian turned around a few more times, and then he dismounted, taking the towel handed over by Pan Yin, wiping his sweat, came to the four of them, and said with a smile: "What, the summer harvest has produced results?"
The summer harvest is now mostly completed. Although it has not been completely escorted to Taicang, the number should be there.
Xun Yu raised his hand and said: "Your Majesty, after summarizing, the Hu Cao calculation is 180 million."
Liu Bian wiped his neck and felt that his chest was a little sticky, so he stuffed the towel in, touched it hard, and nodded thoughtfully: "So, it may be less than 40 million for the whole year, another sharp drop? "
Xun Yu bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Qingzhou, Jizhou, Yanzhou, Xuzhou, Yuzhou, Jingzhou, and Jiaozhi basically have no money and food. The money and food collected this time basically come from Sili, Yizhou, and Bingzhou."
Liu Bian raised his head and glanced at the dazzling sun in the sky, and said, "In other words, before the end of the year, we still have to rely on these three states?"
"Yes." Xun Yu said.
He did not explain clearly that Sili and Bingzhou were implementing the "clearing of land ownership" and "household registration", and the money and grain were simply not enough, so there was no money left to hand over.
Ninety percent of this 180 million yuan came from Yizhou.
Yang Biao, Wang Yun, and Xun You didn't say anything. The memorials had been sent up a long time ago. They just wanted to 'wait a little longer' and make careful calculations.
Liu Bian smelled the sweat all over his body, thought for a moment, and said, "Everyone, please go and sit down first. I will come after a shower."
The four of them raised their hands and followed Liu Bian.
When Liu Bian saw that Tang Ji and Cai Wenji were still there, he frowned and said, "It's a hot day. If you have nothing to do out here, go back and stay early. Pan Yin, please add more charcoal to the two palaces."
The so-called 'charcoal' is ice.
Tang Ji and Cai Wenji saluted and retreated silently.
Their due dates are close, both around the end of the year.
Yang Biao, Wang Yun, Xun You, and Xun Yu entered the study, sat down in order, tilted their heads and twisted their buttocks, discussing various important matters with each other.
Since Liu Bian succeeded to the throne in the Han Dynasty, all kinds of chaos have occurred one after another, and various rebellions have come and gone. There are rebellions and wars in almost every state. You sing and I come on stage, endlessly.
There are more and more signs that "the Han Dynasty will end". I don't know how many people are lamenting in their hearts, and how many conspirators are looming in it.
At the same time, Queen Mother He suddenly appeared in Tingwei Mansion.
In the back hall.
Queen Mother He looked at Zhong Yao and the kneeling young woman standing in front of her with a cold face.
Queen Mother He was followed by four sturdy men, holding knife hilts and looking fierce.
Zhong Yao forced himself to calm down, raised his hand and said, "The Queen Mother, I wonder if you have any instructions when you come to Tingwei's Mansion?"
Seeing that Zhong Yao was still pretending to be confused at this time, Queen Mother He sneered and said in a sharp voice: "Zhong Tingwei, what are your intentions in hiding this slave?"
The young woman trembled all over and hurriedly knelt her head on the ground and said: "The Queen Mother, this servant deserves to die. Please, please spare the child. He is also your nephew..."
"Shut up!"
Queen Mother He suddenly shouted, "You cheap maid, let me ask you, are you the one who instigated the general's wanton behavior?"
"No, no, Queen Mother, this servant has been wronged..." The young woman knelt on the ground, her face was pale, and her whole body was shaking.
Zhong Yao looked serious and felt cold in his heart.
He hid this concubine of He Jin. Once it is revealed to the public, he may be accused of having "ulterior motives"!
Even though he has a mouth, he can't explain it!
Queen Mother He suppressed her anger, stared at Zhong Yao, and suddenly said calmly: "Tingwei, what do you know?"
"I wonder what the empress is referring to?" Zhong Yao kept raising his hand, his tone neither humble nor arrogant.
As soon as he finished speaking, a big man's long sword was suddenly unsheathed and placed on Zhong Yao's neck.
Zhong Yao took a deep breath and felt the cold blade. Even though he was determined, his scalp could not help but feel numb at this moment.
He had a very clear and certain feeling - Queen Mother He would really kill him!
The young woman on the ground was shaking and even started to cry.
Queen Mother He glanced at her with disgust, walked up to Zhong Yao, her tone was cold and biting, her eyes were as deep as abyss, and she said calmly: "I ask you again, what did this cheap maid say?"
Zhong Yao's expression remained unchanged as he said, "Back to the Queen Mother, I really don't know what the Queen Mother is talking about."
Queen Mother He looked gloomy and snorted coldly.
The big man next to him received the order, raised his long sword, and was about to slash.
Zhong Yao felt the wind of the sword and clenched his fists fiercely. His neck felt cold, his face straightened and his eyes opened angrily.
"Your Majesty has a decree to send Wei Zhong Yao to the palace."
Suddenly, there was a loud shout outside the door.
The big man wielding the knife suddenly stopped his hand and looked at Queen Mother He.
Empress Dowager He had a bad expression. After a moment, she waved her hand and said to Zhong Yao: "Please remember what you said, Ting Wei."
Zhong Yao walked away from the gate of hell, secretly took a breath and said: "I will bear in mind this."
"I took this cheap maid away." Queen Mother He walked straight out.
Zhong Yao sighed inwardly. When Queen Mother He appeared, he knew that he could not save this woman.
The woman fell directly to the ground and passed out.
Two big men held her up, and then Empress Dowager He left the Tingwei Mansion.
Zhong Yao touched his neck, as if he could feel the blood, and sighed with lingering fear: "Fortunately, Your Majesty saved my life in time."
Naturally, he could see that this announcement was such a coincidence that the palace must have discovered it and sent someone to rescue him.
Zhong Yao thought about these things, packed his clothes, and left the house to enter the palace.
On the Queen Mother He's carriage, the young woman who had fainted was quickly woken up and knelt tremblingly in front of the Queen Mother He, her face turned pale and her lips were trembling.
Queen Mother He sat upright, expressionless, and said calmly: "From now on, you will stay with me and will not leave even an inch."
"Yes, yes, yes." The young woman's voice trembled, fear reaching her bones.
…
When Zhong Yao arrived at Jingfu Hall, Liu Bian happened to come out after taking a shower. He was standing under the eaves with a fan in his right hand, fanning constantly. He was holding a memorial in his left hand, and his palms were sweating. A lot wet.
When Zhong Yao saw it, he walked over quickly, raised his hand and said, "I see your Majesty."
There was a hint of nervousness on his usually serious face.
Some things cannot be put on the table, otherwise everyone will look ugly and things will become embarrassing.
Liu Bian hummed, handed the memorial to Pan Yin, and said to Zhong Yao with a smile: "Without courtesy. These are all unfounded things. The Queen Mother has such a precious son like me, so it is inevitable that she will be a little excited. The Qing family does not need to pay attention. I will go and talk to my mother later, so I won’t do this next time.”
When Zhong Yao heard what Liu Bian said, he breathed a sigh of relief and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, these are indeed untrue things. The more false they are, the less the court and the palace can show their attention. It is best to ignore them."
Liu Bian smiled and nodded, glanced in the direction of the study, walked slowly, and said, "My two beauties are about to give birth. What do the Qing family think of Datong?"
Zhong Yao suddenly understood, raised his hand, and blurted out: "Your Majesty, the eldest son inheriting the throne is a custom made by ancient times."
The "ancient" mentioned by Zhong Yao refers to the Zhou Dynasty.
Liu Bian waved his hand and said: "Customization is customization, but there is always damage. I am considering that in addition to the laws of the ancestors, it must also be set in the form of Han laws to ensure that the general order is orderly and the country is stable."
"I agree." Zhong Yao said. However, in his opinion, the laws of the ancestors are greater than the laws of the Han Dynasty. If future emperors can even ignore the laws of their ancestors, Han law will have no effect.
Liu Bian didn't care what Zhong Yao thought, and said as he walked: "In addition, I am determined to abolish the enfeoffment system. From now on, all princes of the clan will live in the capital and will not leave the capital unless ordered."
It can be said that the enfeoffment system is really 'since ancient times' and has been throughout the entire feudal dynasty. Everyone knows the harmful effects of the enfeoffment system, but the enfeoffment system appears and disappears from time to time and has never really disappeared.
Zhong Yao saw that he had arrived at the door of the study and said, "I have no objection."
He really had no objections. The clan of the Han Dynasty was deeply involved in government affairs and there were almost no restrictions.
Like Liu Hong, Liu Yu, Liu Yan, etc., they were once extremely popular ministers. Now Liu Yan and Liu Yu are also high officials in the border areas, holding the military and political power of a state.
"His Majesty!"
Xu Yan hurried over, handed over a memorial, and said: "Urgent memorial from Beihai County."
Liu Bian stretched out his hand to take it and said, "What's the content?"
Xu Yan waited for Liu Bian to open the memorial, and then said: "Beihai Prime Minister Kong Rong impeached Cao Cao for massacring seventeen Beihai noble families, killing sixty-seven people for no reason, and looting countless money."
Liu Bian has already seen the memorial. In addition to Kong Rong, there are also many famous people who have co-signed, more than thirty people.
Liu Bian closed his hands casually, turned around and entered the study.
When Xu Yan was about to ask, Zhong Yao followed and blocked Xu Yan.
Seeing Liu Bian entering the study, Yang Biao, Wang Yun and others immediately stood up and saluted: "I'm here to see your majesty."
Liu Bian smiled and said: "No courtesy. Let's talk about the progress of the 'New Deal' in the three states first."
Everyone sat down, Yang Biao bowed, paused, and said: "Your Majesty, the vacancies in Sili, Yanzhou, and Bingzhou are basically in place. The main task at present is to do our best to clean up the banditry so that the people can live in peace and the officials can feel at ease. Overall, That said, there is progress, but things are complicated and need time to be sorted out.”
Liu Bian nodded, looked at him and said: "Well, recently the Shangshutai has worked together and government affairs have been advancing rapidly, and I am very satisfied. Now that Cao Cao has conquered Qingzhou, I intend to make Qingzhou the fourth state and implement the 'New Deal' immediately. Everyone What do the Qing family think?"
Wang Yun looked hesitant and said: "Your Majesty, Qingzhou has not yet been completely pacified, and there are countless bandits, big and small. Cao Cao has surrendered nearly one million Yellow Turban troops. I am afraid that I will not be able to relocate them, or they may rebel again."
"so,"
Liu Bian did not give others a chance to speak and said: "We must speed up the implementation of the 'New Deal' so that the people of Qingzhou can live and work in peace and contentment and cut off the roots of rebellion!"
Asking for a monthly ticket~~
(End of chapter)
