At the end of winter in the third year of Qianyou's reign, the cold air in Saibei was still lingering over the land of Hebei and was about to dissipate.
Xiangzhou, Anyang, Nanci.
The ancestral hall is cold, the smoke is lingering, the environment is quiet, and the atmosphere is solemn. Dozens of officials and military academies below Liu Zhu, the governor of Xiangzhou, are present, as well as dozens of powerful people from the state, gathered here to offer sacrifices in memory of Anyang in those days. Massacre the dead people.
Of course, the generals of Xiangzhou are not the protagonists. The leader in the middle is Guo Wei, the prime minister of the imperial court and Duke of Xing.
At that time, the Khitan destroyed the Jin Dynasty, ravaged the Central Plains, and committed countless crimes against the people in the north and south of the river. Among them, the "Anyang Massacre" was the most shocking and profound.
Therefore, the Anyang Massacre has become a symbol of the suffering and catastrophe experienced by the Han people. In order to remember the national disaster, after Liu Chengyou succeeded to the throne, he specially ordered the Prime Minister's government to build an ancestral hall to commemorate the people who died. Local officials and people paid homage to him from time to time. When Liu Chengyou was on his northern tour, he did not forget to personally present a few sticks of incense.
When Guo Wei passed by this place, he naturally would not forget this incident, so he asked the generals of Xiangzhou to organize a ceremony for him.
Last winter, Guo Wei was ordered by the emperor to patrol Hebei on behalf of the emperor as the Privy Envoy and Hebei Observation Envoy, inspecting border preparations, inspecting military defenses, condolences to soldiers, observing the morale of the troops, observing the internal and external situation, and discussing border defense preparations with the border guarding generals. Have detailed conversations. The northernmost one goes all the way to Yongqing.
At this time, the border patrol has been completed and we are on our way home.
After the worship, Guo Wei declined the kind invitation of Jiedushi Liu Zhu to have a banquet. He planned to return south. He needed to pay a visit to Fu Yanqing in Yedu, and his adopted son Guo Rong in Chanzhou should also meet and give instructions.
"Mr. Guo, is there anything wrong with Liu's reception? Why did he rush south? Do you dislike the simplicity of my government office and don't want to settle down?" Xiangzhou Jiedu Liu Biao looked a little unhappy. He stopped Guo Wei's car and asked him. .
"Mr. Liu's words are serious!" Faced with Liu Zhu's rude obstruction, Guo Wei put on a kind smile and said: "Guo really has urgent matters to deal with——"
Liu Zhu interrupted Guo Wei rudely again: "Didn't Prime Minister Guo come north to inspect Hebei on His Majesty's orders? What business is more urgent? Why did he pass through my prime minister's state without stopping? What's the point? Could it be that I'm prime minister's military and political affairs? Unsightly?"
This Liu Zhu was hard-spoken, straightforward and bold. Even with Guo Wei's sophistication and self-cultivation, he could not help but feel angry. Facing his gaze, Guo Wei suppressed his unhappiness and pointed at the driver: "Mr. Liu, please don't be suspicious. Guo really has no other intentions. Please talk in the car!"
Liu Biao's eyes squinted, and he made a strong fist with both hands: "Please, listen to the teachings of Prime Minister Guo!"
Among the veteran generals of the Han Dynasty, Liu Zhu had a place. He had an old relationship with Liu Zhiyuan in his early years. During the Jiedu period in Hedong, he was an internal official. Liu Zhiyuan also told his close confidants that he was brave enough to judge others, and he was deeply touched by his encounters, and was as kind as Guo Wei.
At the beginning of the founding of the Northern Han Dynasty, he made great contributions to the central plains, and moved his post to Bian and Luo, and then moved to Qingzhou. Later, when Liu Chengyou moved the town to change defenses, he was transferred to Xiangzhou Jiedu Guo Jin, and he has been in office to this day.
Liu Zhu had a stern face and was not an easy person to get along with at first glance, so Guo Wei felt helpless when facing him now.
After getting on the carriage and sitting down, Guo Wei calmly said to him: "Brother Liu and Guo are both old ministers of Hedong. They were the ancestors who settled the Central Plains and established the country. Although we didn't have a close relationship with each other when we were in Jinyang, I also knew Liu. Brother, you are very talented. Since we meet here today, I have something to say, please listen to me. If you don't like it, don't be surprised!"
After hearing what Guo Wei said, Liu Biao's face looked better, but he still had a vicious temperament.
Guo Wei raised his finger lightly: "I know that Mr. Liu has always made strict laws and enforced orders and prohibitions. There is nothing wrong with him in the army. However, controlling the people is not the army, so we should not be too harsh. If the officials and the people have made mistakes, they should ask the seriousness of the matter and punish them accordingly. According to its regulations. The people of Xiangzhou were severely damaged by the war in the past, and their livelihood and morale have not recovered yet. It is not appropriate to overtax the tax collection and labor service..."
Liu Zhu has always been a cruel person who likes to kill, has ruthless methods, has a stubborn personality, and cannot tolerate disobedience. When he was still in Qingzhou, he was quite harsh and arbitrary in governing the people.
Every time there is a slight disobedience to the wedding ceremony, they will be dragged out until they are hundreds of steps away, and their skin and body will not be intact. Each stick person sends two sticks facing each other down, which is called the "Acacia stick"; or if the stick person is old enough, it is called the "year-old stick".
After being transferred to Xiangzhou, he also transplanted all the tricks he had in Qingzhou. Therefore, he has only been in power for two years, and his reputation for evil has spread far and wide, and everyone in his tribe is afraid of him.
Guo Wei's reminder can be regarded as a brief exchange of words. But when Liu Zhu heard this, his expression turned even uglier than when he was driving in the car before. He lowered his head and said: "It seems that Prime Minister Guo really despises the politics of Xiangzhou. No wonder, he wants to report to His Majesty for punishment based on what he just said." me?"
As soon as Liu Zhu said this, Guo Wei's eyebrows immediately wrinkled, his eyes dimmed, his face became cold, and he looked at him.
After a while of silence, Guo Wei smiled calmly: "Guo really didn't mean this!"
His attitude became more gentle, and he added: "Of course, the flaws cannot be concealed, and Liu Gong's achievements in Xiangzhou cannot be erased. In the early days of the country, the finances of the imperial court were difficult. Xiangzhou had annual income and transportation to Tokyo was never lacking or delayed. The thieves in the territory disappeared, and the bandits did not flourish. . Since the Emperor came to the throne, all the policies and regulations established have been enacted according to the imperial edicts, and no omission has been omitted. Guo has heard about these situations, and His Majesty also expressed his praise..."
After hearing what Guo Wei said, Liu Biao asked anxiously: "Is this true?"
"Absolutely no joke!" Guo Wei said seriously, noticing Liu Zhu's still flashing eyes, and said with a smile: "What Guo said just now is only a family opinion. Now the world is undecided, and everyone is in troubled times. The common code is used to establish order. , it’s not considered a fault!”
Guo Wei said this, and Liu Biao just felt comfortable...
After getting rid of Liu Zhu, Guo Wei and his party quickly headed south. In the carriage, Guo Wei's expression was very ugly. It took him a long time to recover. A trace of sarcasm hung on the corner of his lips, which soon turned into a sigh.
He shook his head and murmured: "This Liu Zhu is so stubborn and uncontrollable. How can he survive for a while? If I try to stop talking with him, I'm afraid that not only will it not be able to alert him, but he will be offended. It's unwise. ah!"
Originally, Guo Wei criticized Liu Baht for his harsh policies, followed by some words of advice, hoping that he could make some corrections, but judging from his attitude, he felt that he was not a good person. In Guo Wei's view, if Liu Baht's style does not change and his actions remain unchanged, good results will be hard to come by in the future.
Guo Wei didn't know that Liu Biao's cruelty was deep in his bones, and it was easy to change. In the original history, it was Liu Zhu who was ordered to kill his family.
Continuing to go south and passing through Yedu, Guo Wei gathered his mood, paid homage to Fu Yanqing, and spent the last night of the third year of Qianyou in Yuancheng.
He started off again and rushed all the way. Before he could meet his adopted son Guo Rong, he received bad news from Tokyo. At least for Guo Wei, it's not a good sign.
