With the victory of the Pingnan War by the imperial court, news of the unification of the world spread to all parties. As the fifteenth year of Qianyou was about to end, some strange phenomena happened invariably across the country.
For example, according to Luoyang Shangzou, deep in the Shaoshi Mountain of Songshan Mountain, there is a sudden crack in the mountain wall, and a clear spring flows out. The taste is sweet and the drink is refreshing;
For another example, reports were reported from Hedong Road that there was the sound of dragon roars in Jinyang Qiandi, which could be heard throughout the city. As the place of dragon prosperity of the Han Dynasty, it seemed to be responding to the achievements established by the Han Dynasty;
Another example is that Yanzhou reported that there were nine colorful clouds blooming in Mount Tai, which lasted for half an hour before dissipating. When the news came, someone again mentioned old things to Emperor Liu and consecrated Mount Tai;
In addition, Guanzhong also reported that where Chang'an City once stood, there were strange sounds of animals, such as dragons and phoenixes singing in harmony...
One after another, for more than a month, there were constant auspiciousness and frequent visions in various parts of the Han Dynasty. The last time the Han Dynasty "erupted" on such a scale was when Liu Chengyou first came to the throne. Of course, there were people behind the scenes pushing it to build momentum for Emperor Liu and create an illusion of obeying fate, which to a certain extent played a role. It confuses and stabilizes people's hearts and consolidates his throne as emperor.
But this time, Emperor Liu could swear on his conscience that he did not deliberately fix these fancy things. However, there were many smart people and speculators among the local officials. Someone took the lead and imitated them. Then came one after another. With Emperor Liu's vision and knowledge, he certainly knew what was going on behind these visions.
At first, Emperor Liu didn't react much, just a symbolic "I know" response. Some auspicious omens are not a bad thing. The world will be united and the world will be happy. Millions of people may be able to enhance their confidence and identity in the country.
However, as various strange sights and phenomena came to light one after another, it gave Liu Chengyou the feeling that officials from all over the country were investing their energy and enthusiasm in discovering "auspiciousness". Emperor Liu was naturally dissatisfied and felt that this man should be killed. Something went wrong.
"Where did so much auspiciousness come from in this world? Are they all concentrated in this withered deep winter moon? Or, are my achievements so far really touching the world?" In the Chongzheng Hall, he gently put down another After reading a memorial, Liu Chengyou couldn't help being angry and directly expressed his dissatisfaction. He turned around and ordered Lu Yin: "Draft an edict to announce to all the states in the world that it is auspicious omen. If it is a gift from God, let it be. Let everyone take it as it is. Officials at the top level should still focus on managing household registration and relieving the people's sufferings!"
"Yes!" Lu Yin responded immediately.
In fact, even if Emperor Liu did not issue this edict, Lu Yin would have to make some suggestions. In everything, too much is not enough. Although this principle is simple, there are not many people who can see through it and remain rational at all times. Fortunately, Emperor Liu has a good idea. Of course, the most important reason is that Emperor Liu does not believe in those things in his heart. If you listen to it too much, you'll just get bored.
"Furthermore, Wu Xingde has always been stable, why did he get involved?" Liu Chengyou seemed to be still angry and said: "Guanzhong is suffering from severe drought and locusts this year. He, the chief executive, does not want to care for the people, and he can still be distracted. Does he care?"
During the years when he was in power, many "models" were born in the military and political system of the Han Dynasty, and Wu Xingde was one of the more famous figures. Moreover, his experience is often praised and envied by others.
Originally, he was just an unknown ordinary officer in the Jin army. Taking advantage of the Khitan's destruction of Jin and the chaos in the Central Plains, he carried out righteous deeds and led the army to fight against the Liao. He also had the foresight to join the newly emerging Han Dynasty and jumped into the army. Became a vassal town.
For a long time, Wu Xingde has always adhered to the two principles of governance. The first is to serve the court loyally, and the second is to be kind and provide for the people, to have good governance, to respond to national policies, and to do practical things. Nowadays, it is no longer unusual for someone to be able to do this, but in the early days of the founding of the Han Dynasty, when warriors were in power and the power of vassal towns still had the afterglow, it was a breath of fresh air, which was very rare. And the most rare thing is that Wu Xingde is an authentic martial artist.
In the early days of the Qianyu period, the country's finances were in difficulty, and Wu Xingde was unable to finance and tax Heyang to supply Tokyo; Qianyu's new policies did not compromise at all, and he was still the one who fully obeyed the imperial orders and implemented national policies.
After so many years, Wu Xingde has always maintained this political habit, and every performance has completely fallen in Liu Chengyou's eyes, and he also has a good impression of Wu Xingde. Of course, Wu Xingde also received the rewards he deserved. Over the past ten years, he has worked in many places, from Heyang to Xuzhou, from Xuzhou to Caizhou, and from Huaibei to Guanzhong, and has always been a feudal official. Moreover, there is no shortage of favors for his family. It is appropriate to grant his wife the title of Yinzi, and his younger brother Wu Xingyou is also a general.
Taking over the post of Duke Li Shaoyou of Shou State as the chief envoy of Guanzhong is a further manifestation of his official career. You must know that among the various administrative ministers and envoys of the Han dynasty today, the only one who is in charge of the administration of the same dynasty as an old vassal minister is Wu Xingde.
Therefore, Emperor Liu still admired the virtues of martial arts. Of course, a few words of instruction at this time is just a way to vent a little bit. When mentioning the disaster in Guanzhong, Emperor Liu became concerned: "How is the people's mood in the states in Guanzhong this winter? After this disaster year, are there people who will die of cold and hunger?"
After hearing the question, Lu Yin replied: "Your Majesty has exempted the people in the disaster-stricken prefectures and counties from two taxes, and also allocated money and food for disaster relief. According to the report from Guanzhong, the military commander set up relief centers in ten states and personally inspected them. No one died of cold or starvation. Report the matter!”
"It seems that Wu Xingde is still a good minister who cares for the people, and he should be praised!" Liu Chengyou showed a slight smile: "Next year, I will call him back to the court to report on his duties!"
Because of the disaster, Wu Xingde was not among those recalled by the officials from various places.
However, when he thought of the disaster situation, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but sigh. During the fifteen years he was in power, although he reformed and reformed, he formulated many policies to support the people, and every few years, he would reduce some of the people's burdens.
However, judging from the facts, the lives of the Han people are still not happy. In terms of the collection of the two taxes, the burden is still very heavy. Moreover, the poorer the people, the more difficult it is for the people to make a living. Although there is the most prosperous and prosperous city of Kaifeng, it is difficult to hide that there are still a large number of people in various prefectures who are below the food and clothing line.
Emperor Liu spent fifteen years pacifying other countries in the south, chasing Khitan in the north, and conducting repeated foreign expeditions, making war the main theme of the Qianyou era. What supported these military actions? When it comes to the essence, it still relies on squeezing the common people...
The clever thing about the Han Dynasty court led by Emperor Liu was that it always had a certain degree of control, maintained a bottom line, and built a relatively complete and reasonable national social management system. When we found that the national strength and people's strength could not keep up, we decisively stopped and rested and recovered.
Throughout the process, although Han Dynasty has continued to advance and social vitality has also increased, if the common people of Han Dynasty were asked to talk about the "happiness index", not many people would be satisfied.
The Imperial City Department and the Wude Department investigated and paid attention to the public sentiment inside and outside Beijing. The feedback Emperor Liu received was that the taxes were too heavy and the burden was too heavy. After fifteen years of relatively peaceful and stable life, the Han people were no longer satisfied simply by providing them with a stable environment free from the scourge of war.
The people in the north are still like this, but what's worse is the people in the south who have been at peace for a long time. As Liu Chengyou had realized before, at this stage, the new generation of people has gradually grown up and become the main force in Han society. Their pursuits and the life they want have also changed. At least, taxes and corvee, which were originally acceptable, now seem outdated and excessive.
During the fifteen years of Qianyou's reign, disasters were quite frequent. Although under the supervision of Liu Chengyou, they tried their best to cope with each time and actively treated them. However, even after the fifteenth year of Qianyou, as long as a larger-scale disaster occurs, there will be refugees and famine, and the court will need to rescue them. Why, the family has no food left...
Therefore, after understanding the actual national conditions and people's conditions of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Liu knew the next direction of governing the country. No matter what means or policies, there was only one purpose, which was to reduce the burden of the people.
However, this will bring about financial and taxation problems. The burden on the people will be reduced, and the court's income will definitely decrease. This will definitely bring financial pressure to the country, and then, how to maintain the country's tax revenue at a qualified level, and how to reduce financial pressure, which may also bring about reforms within the court, the improvement of systems, and the update of national policies. ...
It is conceivable that problems will arise one after another, but Liu Chengyou is determined in the general direction.
After all, times have changed.
