Starting from the first year of Qianyou, the Han Dynasty court began the policy of granting land and titles to military officers, and it has continued to this day. By the eleventh year of Qianyou, the number of people in various states under the Han Dynasty who had served as officials in local states, counties, towns and villages due to military exploits and retirement had reached more than 50,000.
This is not a small number. Except for a small number of people who were appointed as state and county officials, most of them were assigned to return to their hometowns, or were arranged nearby and on the spot to become rural officials in the Han Dynasty.
This is also the so-called "imperial power going to the countryside" movement, with meritorious personnel as the main body. Those who were granted the title had all fought for the great man on the battlefield, performed meritorious services, and shed blood in order to receive rewards.
Therefore, these people have a relatively high degree of recognition of the imperial court and can actually respect the imperial court and implement policies. They have meritorious services, land, and power. They have the support of the imperial court, and their honor and prestige extend to the countryside.
This large number of people is a powerful weapon for the central government to strengthen its influence and management on local governments. Over the past ten years, it has indeed produced certain positive effects. At the same time, it also represents the resurgence of an ancient and traditional force, that is, the military landlord class.
However, everything has its advantages and disadvantages. The officers and soldiers who transferred to local areas not only served as catchers, officers, and maintained public security, but also a large number of them were responsible for rural governance.
However, for a group of Qiuba who are basically uneducated, it is not a big problem to let them fight and fight on the battlefield. However, if they are allowed to manage people's livelihood, manage rents and taxes, and coordinate neighbors, it will be difficult to achieve smooth sailing.
Because they come from the military and have a tough style, many people act very roughly and do not follow the law and reason when things happen, but prefer to use their power to suppress others. If this is all, this has triggered the phenomenon of many people who went to the countryside to dominate and dominate the fish and meat countryside.
Many disputes and cases were handled privately without being reported to the government. Theft, injury, adultery, etc. were all regarded as "minor matters", and even some incidents involving human life were handled without authorization.
As for these "officers" in the countryside, the people either feared their power or were intimidated by their coercion, so they did not dare to resist, and they did not dare to bring any trouble to the government. Although, so far, it is only a partial phenomenon, but the increasing number of such phenomena proves that there is a problem.
This is what Zhao Li has been following and investigating in recent times. After Liu Chengyou read his memorial, he immediately paid attention to it, and from the supervision memorials received by the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Liu Chengyou uncovered a series of malpractice cases.
For example, there was a township chief in Beizhou who liked to flog the people. No matter how big or small the fault was, he would be punished with fifty lashes.
For example, Puzhou is one mile long, and there are cases under its governance. It is forbidden for the people to file complaints against the government, and they can decide on their own.
For example, there was a county captain in Huazhou who used poor land to enrich the people's land.
For example, there was a policeman in Jinzhou who seized other people's wives and persecuted their families...
And these people all have one thing in common, they are all retired officers and soldiers. There are too many similar incidents to enumerate, and it can be said that there are numerous evil deeds, all over Daozhou counties and towns. As for the local officials, there are many who are strong and capable and have done something to rectify it, but more often than not, due to the "status" of these people, they have some scruples. As long as they don't go too far and make things worse, It’s also turning a blind eye. After all, the emperor once said that these people were all meritorious men of the Han Dynasty and an important part of the Han Dynasty in governing the countryside...
Before the case of Zhao Li, he had been committed to the supervision and investigation of such common cases. He was preparing to make a big move to impeach local officials who were officers and soldiers, and asked the emperor to change the policy. However, before anything was done, his own case was revealed.
Liu Chengyou had not paid attention to these things before, and his officials rarely reported them. Even if there are those who are brought to justice, they are only dealt with according to the normal regulations of the court and on a case-by-case basis.
However, when something like this becomes a common local problem, it becomes a very serious problem from an overall perspective. For a long time, the "imperial power to the countryside" that Liu Chengyou had hoped for did not seem to achieve the expected results. Instead, after so many years, it gradually developed into new ills.
Liu Chengyou intended to weaken the influence of local clans and powerful officials and strengthen local control and management through these military landlords and officials. However, judging from the results, it seems that he only replaced part of the role of those people.
The rise of the military landlord class in the countryside only represents a new local force. They are not essentially different from the original clans, powerful men, and landlords. They only represent the imperial court in name, and in comparison, they are more interested in the imperial court. Submit.
At the beginning of the country, the central authority was strong. They were an extension of the policy will of the emperor and the court, and they had great positive significance. But it is foreseeable that as time goes by, they will eventually integrate and evolve with local forces, and finally become entrenched...
With this understanding, Liu Chengyou suddenly discovered that he still took rural governance for granted. After all, the transfer of imperial power to the countryside is only an ideal state and a problem that cannot be completely solved. In the current imperial society, it seems that it can only be improved to a certain extent in a certain period of time. As for more, it's just delusion.
After thinking about this, Liu Chengyou was helpless and felt quite depressed. And this, compared to the Zhao Li case, made him feel more uncomfortable and helplessly aggrieved. Of course, for Liu Chengyou, this problem is not that serious, because it seems to be just a social governance issue, and it does not have much impact on imperial power or his throne.
No matter how those officers and landlords changed, in essence, they were a force that maintained the emperor and the court's local rule. However, the development of this force deviated somewhat from Liu Chengyou's original intention...
"Fan Qing is here! Take a seat quickly!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" In the Chongzheng Hall, Fan Zhi looked at the emperor who was rumored to be in a bad mood recently. Fan Zhi accompanied him carefully.
"What brings you here?" Liu Chengyou got straight to the point.
Fan Zhi did not hesitate, and submitted a thick memorial, saying: "Your Majesty, regarding the Zhao Li fraud case, there are a total of 85 officials and personnel involved in the case, including the criminal officials and criminals in Beijing, the Ministry of Punishment, and Dali Temple. Now that the trial is over, the punishment is as follows, please review it by Your Majesty!"
"Yeah!" Liu Chengyou responded, picked it up and looked at the penalty result. He quickly frowned and said, "Is it too light?"
Hearing this, Fan Zhi said calmly: "Your Majesty, the government's judgments are all based on the severity of the crime and are handled in accordance with the "Penal Regulations"!"
According to Yousi's sentencing, there were 36 criminals in Beijing, and the circumstances were so serious that only 11 were sentenced to death. And Liu Chengyou's meaning was also very obvious, he felt that too few people had been killed.
After listening to his answer, Liu Chengyou said immediately: "I am not questioning the judge's decision, but I just judge based on the circumstances. The case of Zhao Li can be called the largest fraud case since the founding of the People's Republic of China. As a member of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, he has the heavy responsibility of supervision. His body is not upright. His behavior is unruly, his evil deeds are obvious, and he has ruined the reputation and authority of the imperial court. If he does not strictly punish him with strict rules and regulations, how can he give an explanation to the people of the world, and how can he warn the ministers of the world?"
Seeing the emperor's reaction, Fan Zhi was silent for a while, stood up, cupped his hands and said solemnly: "Your Majesty's legislation was originally designed to prevent rape. Now a judge has followed his rules and made a decision without any omissions. If he changes the sentence easily, it will be a violation of the law and unfair." . In this way, how can we show the seriousness of the Dharma and convince the people of the world?"
Well, this Fan Zhi started to argue with the emperor again.
In response to this, Liu Chengyou's expression turned cold and his tone became harsh: "Is Fan Qing accusing me of improper usage and unfair law enforcement?"
"I don't dare, I just tell him based on reason and discuss the matter!" Facing the emperor's gaze, Fan Zhi showed no fear at all.
Hearing this, Liu Chengyou took a few deep breaths, calmed down, and said in a cold voice: "This is a special matter, and I will treat this case as a serious matter!"
Fan Zhi also said calmly: "Your Majesty, please issue an edict, but I dare not sign it!"
"you!"
Liu Chengyou choked and immediately recalled that it was also because of a corruption case that Liu Chengyou committed the murder and Fan Zhizong punished him in accordance with the law. At that time, Fan Zhi also responded to Liu Chengyou in this way, and that time, he chose to follow Fan Zhi's advice.
But this time, after looking at each other for a while, Liu Chengyou said forcefully: "All the persons involved in this case will be punished with an additional penalty!"
Obviously, the emperor wanted to take action by force, but Fan Zhi seemed to be unable to do anything except respond silently. As for Liu Chengyou, Zhu Bi made an approval and directly handed it over.
After forcibly implementing his will, Liu Chengyou's mood seemed to have improved a lot. It was a comfortable feeling. Looking at Fan Zhi with a stiff expression, he suddenly smiled at him and said: "Fan Qing, Zhao Li fucked me before he died. A memorial, I also have some memorials from the Metropolitan Procuratorate here, take a look, I want to hear your opinion!"
After saying that, Liu Chengyou ordered people to give him all the piles of memorials about the shortcomings of military officials in the countryside for reading.
Fan Zhi also calmed down his helpless mood. With a little doubt, he took it and turned it over, his expression gradually becoming serious.
