Gao Fang, this can be regarded as Liu Chengyou's "old minister". In the wave of the fall of Jin and the rise of Han, he was also the one who sailed and made boats. Last year, he was in Shangdang and assisted Liu Chengyou in raising righteousness to lead the vanguard of the Longqi Army to the south. At that time, he left a deep impression on Liu Chengyou, and it was Liu Chengyou who recommended him for the post of Luzhou Inspector.
Last year, among the "Three Heroes" of the Luzhou uprising, in addition to Gao Fang, the other two, Wang Shou'en, were secretly killed by the fledgling Liu Chengyou because of his greed. Li Wanchao was still in Zezhou and was appointed by Liu Chengyou to succeed him. Later he was promoted to the governor of Zezhou.
Taking a closer look, Liu Chengyou really does not have many "old friends", and even fewer have some friendship with him. Therefore, since he ascended the throne, he has expressed his feelings towards these old ministers of Conglong.
Of course, in the past five months since he took the throne, he has been busy with many things, so how can he care about these old people at all times.
Regarding the discussion about the selection of the governor of Youzhou, Gao Fang came into Liu Chengyou's field of vision, but it was him who took the initiative. Not long ago, Gao Fang wrote to the court to impeach Zhaoyi Jiedu envoy Chang Si, saying that he did not care about pastoral care of the people and good governance in Luzhou, but instead engaged in corruption and bribery, and focused on amassing money, which led to the dereliction of military and political affairs...
Chang Si was an old general in Hedong and a hero of Yuancong. Luzhou Jiedu was also a close relative of the great ancestor Liu Zhiyuan. He had a deep relationship with the DPRK. Compared with him, Gao Fang could not defeat him. If Liu Chengyou hadn't accidentally heard about it, I'm afraid the impeachment memorial would not have been submitted to his desk, so it was sent away.
Liu Chengyou naturally believed what Gao Fang said. With Gao Fang's temperament, he would not make false accusations, but he would still target a nobleman like Chang Si.
It would be fine if he didn't know it. Now that he knew it, how to deal with it gave Liu Chengyou a headache. Liu Chengyou never thought about punishing Chang Si. What Chang Si did was a common problem in today's Xiaxia Town, especially when Wu Fu was in power. If Chang Si was punished, then all Jiedou in the world would be punished.
Besides, Liu Chengyou also wanted to give Guo Wei some face. Yes, Guo Wei is not exempt from vulgarity. Even if he is loyal to the country, he will inevitably show favoritism. He is not a saint, so he said a few words for Chang Si.
What Chang Si did, in this era, was not too much given the prevailing trends. Corruption of property, hoarding, neglect of government and the people are really not serious crimes. Compared with those who are not just greedy, but also disrupt people's livelihood, torture people, and care about human lives, Liu Chengyou's tolerance is always higher. After Liu Chengyou, the emperor's uncle, was demoted to Xuzhou, he seemed to be insane and took pleasure in killing people. Liu Chengyou had wanted to hire a "leading guillotine" more than once.
Chang Si was furious when he heard that Gao Fang dared to impeach him to the court. Afterwards, he sent tooth soldiers to surround Gao Fang's official residence and intimidate his family. Fortunately, this person still has a certain bottom line in his work. If he dares to kill Gao Fang, then Liu Chengyou will have to deal with harsh punishments. Everything has a limit.
However, the contradiction between Chang Si and Gao Fang is obviously irreconcilable. At the same time, the conflict between the two is not just an issue on the surface, but also involves a power struggle behind the scenes. The Jiedushi envoy and the patrol envoy had some overlapping powers. Chang thought that after arriving in Luzhou, he would directly withdraw the high defense power, seize Luzhou soldiers and bully them. From the beginning, conflict was brewing.
Liu Chengyou had been thinking about how to solve the twists and turns in Luzhou, and happened to meet Zhao Kuangzan's request, so he took advantage of the situation. As for consulting the ministers, it was just a show, as if he had become the dictator of the Sacred Heart and could not change it.
Liu Chengyou proposed high defense, and the first person to stand up and express his agreement was Guo Wei: "I second the proposal."
Because this matter involves him again, he seems to be very catering to Liu Chengyou's decision today.
"Your Majesty's vision is naturally unmistakable." Such compliments came either from Su Yugui or from Feng Dao.
For the northern governor, the ministers in the palace did not actually attach too much importance to it, so Liu Chengyou proposed it and they all agreed, including Yang Bin.
Of course, for Chang Si, what is necessary is that if the court has to issue edicts and orders, fines, salaries and nobility, there must always be some measures to deal with it. This is also politically correct, and the court must have a clear attitude towards such matters.
In fact, the most tiring thing for Liu Chengyou in the past five months since he ascended the throne is that among all the great heroes and founders of the country, only a few of them can look past him.
The generals Liu Zhiyuan left him were either greedy, cruel, arrogant, lawless, or incompetent. As for those who can be called talented, they can be counted on both hands, including Yang Bin, Wang Zhang, and Guo Wei.
How can a dynasty not be destroyed if its founders are all corrupt, violent and despicable people? In the official history, the young leader Liu Chengyou was left with great power and a small group of people did things. The Later Han Dynasty was still able to win the country for nearly four years. It is undeniable that Yang Bin and other prime ministers combined with Guo Wei still had the merit of supporting the sky.
"What's the situation on the other side of the river?" Now, there is no longer any fear of Li Shouzhen. He can directly bring it to the group discussion without fear of leaking the news.
"Back to Your Majesty, Yang Ye, the military envoy of Tong'an, reported that Hezhong had suspended the supply of military supplies to Tongguan on the grounds of poor grain harvest. However, according to inspections, the counties in Hezhong have abundant summer grain!" Wei Renpu reported.
The corner of his mouth curled up slightly, a small gesture of disdain, and Liu Chengyou calmly ordered: "Send a message to question Li Shouzhen."
"yes!"
"Your Majesty, due to the drought in Hebei, the summer grain output is insufficient. If Fangzhen transports summer taxes to Beijing, can it be reduced or reduced as appropriate?" Li Tao, the minister of Zhongshu, asked.
Regarding this, Liu Chengyou thought for a while and said: "The central government will reduce or reduce the amount as appropriate based on the drought situation in various states in Hebei, and the reduction should not be less than 10%!"
The money and food from Fangzhen were imported to the central government, and many places had been depleted. Liu Chengyou wanted to restart the "tax channel" and reshape his authority.
"yes!"
Slowly, all the ministers in the palace entered a state of political discussion. This time, what was reported and dealt with were all detailed matters.
"Liu Zaiming, the military commander of the Anguo Army, died in office, leaving the town vacant. I am proposing that the emperor's brother Liu Chengyun be sent out to control Xingzhou. What do you think, Your Majesty?" Yang Bin stood up again and asked seriously, his tone was particularly harsh.
Liu Zaiming was originally the Jiedushi envoy of Jianxiong and an old minister. Last year, the Khitan invaded and abandoned the town and went to Bianjin to meet Yelu Deguang. At the beginning, after Liu Chengyou disposed of Xue Huairang, the then Jiedushi envoy in Xingzhou, there was a vacancy. Liu Zhiyuan later appointed Liu Zaiming to be the Jiedushi of the Anguo Army in order to win the hearts of his old ministers.
Regarding Yang Bin's proposal, Liu Chengyou thought about it for a moment and said, "Yes!"
There is no big problem in letting Liu Chengyun, his adopted brother, control the place. However, does Yang Bin's move have other meanings? Liu Chengyou subconsciously thought about it, but he couldn't think of any problem.
...
"Brother Yang, why are you doing this?" After the discussion was over, Wang Zhang took the initiative to find Yang Bin and sighed: "The emperor is brave and resolute, but he is not incapable of listening to what others say. As a gentleman, all you need to do is persuade him. Remonstrance will naturally convince him. Why bother to fight with His Majesty in court and have a head-on conflict?"
Wang Zhang and Yang Bin were from the same hometown. During Liu Zhiyuan's time, the two shared military and political affairs and were very close. But after Liu Chengyou came to power, the two people became estranged, and Wang Zhang was no longer Yang Bin's yes-man.
At this time, after hearing his words and feeling the meaning of his advice, Yang Bin still gave a stubborn reply: "The emperor is young and self-righteous. If we don't speak out and warn him, I'm afraid he will become more arrogant and intolerant of others' words!"
"However, what you have done has lost the courtesy of a minister. If you ask questions in court, where does the emperor's face and authority belong? The emperor is young after all, and he is only afraid of causing trouble!" Wang Zhang continued to persuade.
Yang Bin smiled faintly: "If the emperor can't tolerate my old ministers like me, he will just take my head. Why should I be afraid?"
"Don't Brother Yang care about the young family?"
Yang Bin was silent for a moment, but quickly took a deep breath, glanced at Wang Zhang, and said solemnly: "Brother Wang, if something happens in the future, please take care of these useless nephews."
After saying that, Yang Bin went to the political hall to mind his own business.
Behind him, Wang Zhang sighed heavily as he looked at the slightly lonely figure of his old friend.
