In the Long Live Hall, Emperor Liu was lying on his side on the warm couch in a comfortable position, holding a round pillow under his arm, listening to Shi Xizai's report attentively. Shi Xizai was sitting on a stool, but for him, he would rather stand and lean forward, which might be more comfortable.
"According to Han Xizai, the southeastern pacifier, so far, 6,320 households have been relocated from the six prefectures under the jurisdiction of Jiangnan Province, and 3,600 households have been relocated from nine prefectures under the jurisdiction of Jiangxi Province, including Half of them have arrived in the prefectures and counties where they will be resettled, and the household relocation policy has been promoted smoothly overall.
According to the plan of the Southeast Pacification Mission, 20,000 households of powerful clans should be relocated to the two Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces within one and a half years, and 300,000 residents should be relocated within three years..."
Shi Xizai briefly reported to Emperor Liu the situation of moving to the southeast.
"There must have been a lot of trouble caused by this relocation!" Emperor Liu asked softly after hearing the report.
Hearing this question, Shi Xizai subconsciously became nervous and replied: "Powerful clans are deeply rooted in the local area. Once they are removed and their roots are shaken, the repercussions will naturally be fierce. They miss their family and ignore the country. They only cherish their own interests and do not understand Generally speaking, resistance is unavoidable. Fortunately, the civil and military forces in the Southeast have considered everything carefully and dealt with it effectively. Although there was a small chaos, they suppressed it quickly and everything was fine in the Southeast."
"Don't just pick nice things to say! How can nothing happen if such a big war is going on? Even if the civil and military officials do their jobs, where can the stability of the southeast be? How can the people who are relocated be without resentment?" Liu Chengyou said.
After listening to the emperor's words, Shi Xizai silently understood it, but it was difficult to figure out the intention of Liu Chengyou's words. He could only hold his hands and say: "The matter of relocation is related to the overall situation of the southeast. The disadvantages of the old nobles and powerful people are already deep. If they are not solved, it will affect the court's governance. The means may be more drastic and may cause some turmoil, but the overall situation is under control. As long as we survive During this period, what the imperial court will have in the future will be a peaceful southeast, and its prosperity will surely be greater than in the past!"
Shi Xizai was not a person who was good at flattering people, but as he had been a close minister of the emperor for a long time, he was inevitably influenced by Emperor Liu in terms of his views on dealing with affairs and governance, and he tended to follow his ideas when encountering problems.
From his remarks, we can know that these words are not something that a traditional scholar-official can say. Of course, if you cannot share the same ideological ideas as Emperor Liu, it will be difficult to stay in front of the emperor for too long.
Therefore, Emperor Liu smiled, but because he was thinking about things in his heart, his smile seemed not sincere. After pondering for a while, Emperor Liu asked: "About the move of wealthy people, everyone in the imperial court, including the officials in the southeast, complained a lot?"
Mentioning this, Shi Xizai's expression became much more cautious, and said: "The ministers are also worried about acting too hastily and causing chaos. After all, the southeastern land is newly acquired, and people's hearts are not attached to it. Everything is stable, and it is also a safe way to build a country!"
"Don't I know what situation should be stable and what should be urgent? Don't the prime ministers know? Don't the officials of the Taoist government in the southeast don't know?" He asked three times in a row, with a strong and intimidating tone.
Shi Xizai paused for a moment and said: "Now that the big policy has been decided, everyone from the top to the bottom of the court is doing their best to promote its implementation, and no one is neglecting..."
Compared to a secretary, Shi Xizai was more like a remonstrator. He always spoke upright when Emperor Liu was overly angry.
Glancing at him, Emperor Liu pondered for a while and said leisurely: "I heard that there were many problems with the relocation this time, and there were constant twists and turns. In the Jiangnan area, there were officials who accepted bribes and used their power for personal gain, and there were also people who took the opportunity to embezzle property and misappropriate property during the migration. There are also those who send officers and soldiers to extort money and enslave the people, and there are even those who kill people, loot money, and live in exile..."
Emperor Liu's speech was not slow, but it made people feel chilly. Although it was not directed at him, Shi Xizai was also slightly shocked. After all, Emperor Liu was still dissatisfied with the relocation. From public opinion to execution, he failed to gain the Sacred Heart.
After a little hesitation, Shi Xizai said: "Relocation to the southeast is a major national event. It involves a wide range of things and has a huge impact. It is understandable that there will be some disturbances. After the incident, all officials and officials made timely rectifications and introduced measures to strictly prevent it. To avoid making the same mistake again.”
"Why weren't there so many situations when the Shu people moved out?" Liu Chengyou asked in return.
Emperor Liu was a bit of a hooligan when he said this. The situation in Sichuan and Shu at that time was not much comparable to that in the southeast today. The most important point is that most of the people who migrated to the north were involved in rebellions. The imperial court pardoned their crimes and sentenced them to death. "Exile", let them move to the border states of Guanzhong for resettlement.
As for Southeast, it is a coercive act of coercion. When comparing the two parties, the effects will naturally be different. On the other hand, from southeast to northwest, you need to walk diagonally. The farther the journey, the more likely it is that problems will arise. Don't have too high expectations for the execution ability and efficiency of the officials below.
Originally, Emperor Liu knew that this was not an easy task, so it was not surprising that chaos would arise. Normally, he would not be too harsh on this aspect. However, from inside to outside, from top to bottom in the government, situations occurred frequently in the process of handling this matter. This was what really made him angry.
"Among the households that moved north this time, are there any statistics on how many died and how many escaped?" Liu Chengyou asked again.
Regarding this, Shi Xizai was speechless for a moment, because he didn't know either, but under Emperor Liu's gaze, he still said cautiously: "The matter is not over yet. We will only know after the registration status of each moved state and county is reported!"
"I also heard that some people from the Central Plains who moved south due to the war wanted to move back to their homeland, but they were ignored and insisted on moving to the border states?" Emperor Liu asked again: "What is my purpose of moving the wealthy and relocating their households?"
"Relocating households to the border areas is mostly within the customs. In Lan, Liang, Lingzhou and other Longyou and Hexi areas, Han residents are still few and far between, and the problem has not yet been solved. Have you considered any solutions?"
Emperor Liu's series of questions all showed his dissatisfaction with the relocation work, and the atmosphere became a little tense, which made Shi Xizai a little uncomfortable.
Finally, the depression in Liu Chengyou's heart turned into a sigh. Looking at the uncomfortable Shi Xizai, his tone became gentler and he ordered: "Draw up an edict and send these questions of mine to Han Xizai and the relocated people." I have to reflect on the context of the military attachés involved, and they should be more vigilant!”
"Yes!" Shi Xizai stepped back as if he had been granted amnesty.
As for Emperor Liu, he wrote a secret letter in his handwriting and ordered it to be sent to Han Xizai. His holy intention was very clear. He was very satisfied with his relocation measures and asked him to keep up his efforts. He just added a reminder to him not to act too hastily and to proceed in an orderly manner. , consider things carefully and be flexible in handling.
Regarding Qianhao and Shibian, Emperor Liu has absolutely no regrets and will not change his policy. After all, the benefits are obvious. Even if there are some hidden dangers and labor pains, they are all within the acceptable range. The only dissatisfaction is really with the poor execution.
From the frequent situations before and after this relocation, Emperor Liu felt an unpleasant atmosphere, that is, many officials seemed to cater to his ideas, and were eager for quick success and instant benefit, and made one-size-fits-all decisions.
Many things and many situations can obviously be handled in a more flexible and comprehensive way, but they are all ignored. At the same time, an impetuous atmosphere seemed to be spreading among the officials, which Emperor Liu had never felt before the unification of the world.
He knew in his heart that he was still slack, blind, and lax in his thinking. Although Emperor Liu formulated a common pursuit for the emperors and ministers of the Han Dynasty, the ambition to open treasures, from top to bottom, not everyone has this awareness and pursuit. More officials who cannot reach this level may prefer to usher in a A time to prosper and enjoy.
After thinking about it, Emperor Liu knew that after the opening of the treasure, the administration of officials was still the top priority, and he would never allow the officials of the empire to deteriorate so easily...
On the other hand, Emperor Liu also began to worry that ordinary people who were relocated might need time to adapt to the local customs and environment, but with land, houses, and preferential policies, it should not be a big problem.
But what about those powerful clans? Will they feel resentful if they are left on the border, or will they be in trouble because of it? Regarding this point, after putting himself in his shoes, Emperor Liu felt that the court and local officials should be wary of this situation...
