Tokyo, Imperial City, Guangzheng Hall, Political Affairs Hall.
During the few months when the emperor was on tour, this was the center of power for the entire Han Dynasty. State affairs were handled and government orders were issued from here. After experiments, it seems to have been proved that even in the absence of the emperor, the court offices can run smoothly.
Of course, it is undeniable that the influence of Emperor Liu Chengyou on the imperial court has reached a certain level. Although he has left the capital, his majesty remains, and Chongzheng Palace seems to have blessed his will and suppressed the world. Similarly, no one dares to imagine how the country's political situation would develop without the emperor, and what the world would be like...
However, for the prime ministers of the Political Hall, especially Prime Minister Li Tao, they felt much more comfortable during this period. They truly experienced the power of ruling the world and regulating yin and yang without the emperor constantly watching over their heads. The feeling is always intoxicating.
However, with the news of the chaos in Guanzhong, Li Xianggong was in a very bad mood. Originally, before the emperor returned to Beijing, the world was peaceful and there were no major problems in the country. For them, it was also a qualified answer.
Who would have thought that a mere prisoner doing hard labor could cause such a turmoil, especially when the emperor was patrolling nearby. You can imagine what kind of thunder and anger it would be. It was simply a slap in the face, a slap in the face of the emperor, a slap in the face of the imperial court and their ministers.
Sure enough, the emperor's reaction later also proved this point. He directly inspected the situation of quelling the chaos nearby, and sent all the news to the emperor. However, they, the ministers of economics and state in charge of the government, were directly reduced to the situation of chaos in Guanzhong. In contrast, this was a moderate blow to Prime Minister Li Tao, who had been happy for more than two months.
Facts have also proved that the pressure of imperial power on prime minister power has actually reached a certain level, and the emperor seems to be able to withdraw power at any time. Faced with Liu Chengyou's autocratic behavior, they seemed to have little ability to resist. They couldn't even find an excuse to object this time. After all, they couldn't object to the emperor's nearby supervision to quell the chaos. At most, they could go outside and show concern for the emperor's safety. .....
In the political hall, the prime ministers Li Tao, Fan Zhi, Xue Juzheng and Wei Renpu who had returned from inspecting the lower reaches of the Yellow River were all present. Privy Councilor Guo Rong seemed to have been intentionally excluded. Things that can be discussed by these powerful prime ministers are certainly not trivial.
I don't know whether it was because the weather was too hot, or because people were already irritable. With a little anger, Li Tao ordered outside: "Come here, bring some more ice cubes and ice handkerchiefs!"
After giving the instructions, Li Tao continued to preside over the meeting, pointed to the official document on the desk, and said: "Thanks to your Majesty's personal supervision and the efforts of all ministers, the chaos in Shu was initially calmed down, and Guanzhong was restored to peace.
Your Majesty has issued an edict, and the meaning is very clear, so you should all know it. The border troops and the officers and soldiers of the capital who contributed to quelling the rebellion will be reviewed and approved by Prime Minister Wei. The tax exemptions and exemptions for the affected states and counties will be reviewed and approved by the Third Division! "
Li Tao said to Wei Renpu and Xue Juzheng in a commanding tone. Xue Juzheng was slightly unhappy about this and responded lightly, while Wei Renpu had a calm expression, even with a gentle smile: "That's right!"
"The rest of the meritorious personnel will be judged by the officials themselves!" Li Tao's expression became a little serious and asked: "Then, let's discuss what should be done with the remaining Shu prisoners?"
After saying this, no one answered for a moment, and they all thought about it for a while. Fan Zhi said in a deep voice: "In this Guanzhong Shu rebellion, less than 20% of the Shu army prisoners participated in it. There are still a lot of remaining prisoners. How to deal with them needs to be done carefully!"
"What Wen Su said is very true!" Li Tao nodded in approval and took the opportunity to ask: "In your opinion, how should we deal with it?"
Fan Zhi said: "This incident was ultimately caused by the local government's excessive enslavement of Shu prisoners, and the imperial court did not pay much attention to it. In the past two years, there have been frequent deaths due to abuse, and finally led to such consequences.
I think, first of all, the policies towards them should be changed. The Shu people are also Han people. When Your Majesty conquers Sichuan and Shu, they are also the subjects of the Han Dynasty. They can no longer be used as captives and slaves.
Furthermore, there are also Shu people from the Huaiwei and Huaide armies in the southwest frontier army. This matter will inevitably have an impact on their military morale, and the court must consider it! "
After talking for a while, Fan Zhi said somewhat forcefully: "In my opinion, all captives should be abolished as slaves, households should be reorganized, and acres should be assigned to them for work, so as to put their minds at ease!"
"Xiang Fan's consideration is reasonable, and it should be like this!" Xue Juzheng immediately agreed.
Glancing at Xue Juzheng, Li Tao said, "Does that mean he will be granted citizenship based on the lifting of the ban in the prefecture where he is currently located?"
"I'm afraid that's not appropriate!" Fan Zhi shook his head: "The prisoners of Shu are in the same place and have suffered a lot of hard labor. If we give them a change of environment and supplement it with policies, the effect may be better!"
"How about moving these Shu prisoners to Shibian?" Wei Renpu spoke at this time and expressed his thoughts: "Your Majesty has long been willing to move to Shibian. Lingyan, Dingbian, and Longxi can all be used as migration places. This way , it can not only enrich the border, balance the Hu and Han, strengthen the court's control, but also eliminate the hidden danger of Shu prisoners!"
After Wei Renpu said this, everyone's eyes lit up. Li Tao looked at Fan Zhi and Xue Juzheng: "What do you two think?"
"Yes!" Fan Zhi nodded decisively.
The same goes for Xue Juzheng.
"In that case, we will sign together and report it to His Majesty! The Political Affairs Hall should also draft a relocation charter as soon as possible!" Li Tao made a decision.
"In addition!" Fan Zhi added: "The prisoners of the Southern Tang Dynasty in Huainan Province can be treated similarly!"
In Huainan, there were also some prisoners of the original Tang army, but the number was much smaller than that of Shu soldiers, only two to three thousand. For Huainan, the imperial court implemented a direct digestion policy.
The ministers reached a consensus and basically settled the matter. There should be no problems on the emperor's side. Even if there are some discrepancies, the "liberation" of the Shu prisoners is foreseeable.
It can be said that the rebellion by Wang Shun and others was not without positive significance. At least they earned a "freedom" for the many suffering Shu soldiers, allowing them to escape from the sea of misery. Of course, the price was their lives, and from In the beginning, I just wanted to survive...
As for the remaining Shu prisoners, they can directly enjoy the benefits of the "Wang Shun Uprising". Perhaps for them, being able to be returned to Shu is the best outcome, but they have already fallen to this level. In this situation, how can we have more extravagances?
Moreover, no matter what, it is better than working as a slave or a slave for the government. You can have a new beginning in Bianzhou. In fact, he will be grateful for the court's "kindness". Then, when he arrived in Bianzhou, he held a knife in one hand and a plow in the other, contributing to the stability of the Han Dynasty's frontier...
Of course, whether it can achieve that effect depends on subsequent development.
After the discussion was settled, the ministers dispersed and took care of their own business. However, Li Tao deliberately left Fan Zhi behind for a secret discussion. Although the relationship between the two has weakened and even quarreled over the past two years, their superficial dignity and demeanor have still been maintained very well. The two of them behave like gentle gentlemen in relation to each other.
Li Tao personally scooped a bowl of ice drink for Fan Zhi, which was the popular braised plum water in Kaifeng in summer. He chuckled and said, "It's almost the third volt of the year, and the weather is getting hotter and hotter. Drink some cold soup to relieve inflammation and dryness!"
"Thank you, Prime Minister Li!" Fan Zhi's face remained as usual. He held the cup in both hands and took a few sips. His face couldn't help but show a bit of joy. He put down the soup bowl and said, "I don't know, Prime Minister Li, what can we discuss?"
Upon hearing this, Li Tao's attitude remained gentle and said: "The rebellion in Guanzhong was quelled and many thieves were captured. Your Majesty intends to kill all the Shu prisoners who were involved in the rebellion in order to suppress the law of the country. We have no objection to this."
It is easy to identify the rebellious thieves from Shu, but the difficult part is the people in Guanzhong who have escaped from the chaos. It is understandable that Your Majesty does not want to let them go lightly. After all, there is no guarantee that there are treacherous people among them. However, no matter who is forced or who takes the initiative, it is not easy to distinguish between good and evil.
Your Majesty put Sun Fang in front of you to take charge of this matter. He is a decent official, but he is quick and strict in handling matters and eager for quick success. I am afraid that he will overcorrect and harm the good people! "
After hearing Li Tao talk so much, Fan Zhi seemed to understand what he meant. He glanced at him and asked leisurely: "Does Prime Minister Li want to object to His Majesty's appointment of Sun Fang and ask for a replacement?"
Hearing this, Li Tao's expression changed, and he quickly waved his hand and said, "Your Majesty's decision is correct, how dare I change it easily! What I mean is that Wen Su is in charge of the Ministry of Punishment and is responsible for the punishment and naming of the world. The same is true in Guanzhong. This time , the Ministry of Punishment should do something to detect the thieves, for the sake of the country and the people, and also do some things to check for leaks and fill up the vacancies, so as not to be lazy!"
After hearing what he said, Fan Zhi thought about it and felt a little chuckle in his heart. Did Li Tao want to push him out and interfere with the emperor's decision?
