In the first month of the spring of the fifth year of Kaibao's reign, another major turmoil occurred in the Han Dynasty, caused by Zhang Long'er, a charlatan and charlatan. He and his disciples were dealt with neatly and neatly, and they were all beheaded in the city, so that the ignorant people at the bottom could see with their own eyes that the "master" he admired was not invulnerable to water and fire, and could be separated from his body and head with just one blow from the executioner.
At the same time, not a single one of the officials involved was spared, and all those who had contact with Zhang Longer were dug out. Even though he was mentally prepared, the result still made Emperor Liu feel angry.
Among them, there are not only those lower-level officials who hope to be blessed and taught by the "master" in order to be promoted and make a fortune, but also nobles and even a few officers of the Forbidden Army.
If the emperor was offended, the outcome would naturally be disastrous. More than forty officials, no matter who they were or what their positions were, were all dismissed. Even if there were no high-ranking officials, it would be quite a shock to dismiss so many people at once in Tokyo. Of course, a lot of positions were also freed up for others to happily replace. The big man now has no shortage of officials.
Among the nobles, thirteen people were liquidated, dismissed from their honorary posts, and stripped of their titles, including one marquis and two uncles. This was also the first time that Emperor Liu punished the Qianyou heroes. Although it was not much, it was a start, and it also saved the court a certain amount of expenses every year.
Of course, what made Emperor Liu most furious were the imperial officers and soldiers involved. Although there were only a few low-level officers and guards, the matter was huge. Problems in other places and other people were within the acceptable range of Emperor Liu. However, the army was also involved in such messy things, and the nature became serious.
The officers and soldiers involved were all exiled to Annan. They didn't know this, because several senior generals from the Inspection Department, from Han Tong to Li Jixun to Dang Jin, were called to the palace and accused of lax military management. He was severely criticized.
This incident indeed shocked Emperor Liu enough and alerted him to the power that Emperor Liu had always controlled and never relaxed for so many years, military power!
Wherever we arrived, such evil tendencies had already emerged in the army. Although it was very small, it was Emperor Liu's creed to prevent the slightest change and nip it in the bud. Therefore, the emperor gave an order, led by the Privy Council and assisted by the Military Intelligence Department, to conduct another rectification operation against the Forbidden Army.
And among them, the problems exposed are indeed surprising. Although Emperor Liu once again emphasized that the barbarians had not surrendered yet and it was not yet time for the horses to be released to Nanshan, the laziness in the army quietly spread.
This is inevitable. For the Central Forbidden Army, they have been comfortable for too long since the Northern Expedition. Even in the Pingnan War, only a small number of the imperial troops were used. As for the westward and southward march, all local troops were used.
Such a long time is enough to make the soldiers slack off, which is human nature. Entering the Kaibao Year, the era of peace has completely arrived, the war has gradually gone away, living standards have improved day by day, and the treatment of the imperial troops is not low. In the city of Kaifeng, it is conceivable that the military morale has changed.
After all, even Emperor Liu would inevitably feel tired and relaxed, let alone ordinary soldiers. The military law is still strict and restrains the soldiers, and the military appearance is still majestic. What has changed is only the spirit and spirit. This is the impact of the changing times.
The lesson Emperor Liu learned from this was that in times of peace, the management of the army seemed to have to be adjusted, and he could not blindly follow the methods of running the army in war years. At the same time, the implementation of the garrison rotation of internal and external armies must also be strengthened. Prosperity is of course a good thing, but the city of Kaifeng seems to have a strong ability to "corrupt".
It was not until Emperor Liu turned his attention to reorganizing the army that the "Zhang Longer case" really came to an end.
Starting from the second half of the fourth year of Kaibao, Emperor Liu actually broke away from the leisure of the previous two years. Delegation of power was always only superficial. After twenty years of reigning in the world, it can be said that almost every inch of his body was dominated by power. Soaked.
Five years after joining Kaibao, I have become even busier, and the focus of my busyness is only on one thing, making preparations and arrangements for the tour. This is already the twentieth year of Emperor Liu's reign. During these years, Emperor Liu has not been the master of the palace for a long time. He has to go out for a walk from time to time.
In the past twenty years, Emperor Liu only spent about two-thirds of his time in the palace. At other times, he or she went on expeditions, hunting, or patrols.
Excluding the overt and covert visits in the capital and Kinki, Emperor Liu had a total of three high-profile inspections.
The first time, in the first year of Qianyou's reign, he went to Luoyang on his western tour. When he first succeeded to the throne, he ignored dissuasion and went on the tour rashly. In addition to showing his imperial power, the main purpose was to prepare for the rebellion of Li Shouzhen in Hezhong. Some military arrangements for the rebellion in Hezhong were also made during that western tour.
The second time was the winter patrol of the following year. Braving the cold winter, he patrolled north to comfort Hebei and arrived in Yongqing. The purpose was also very clear, for the military defense of Hebei. At that time, the situation in the north of the Han Dynasty was not optimistic. It was not only the loyalty of the army, but also the pressure brought by the Liao Kingdom and the turmoil of the situation in Youyan.
The third time was the Northern Inspection in the ninth year of Emperor Qianyu's reign. It was an inspection of the entire northern territory. From Hebei, he crossed Taihang and entered Hedong, then went south to the middle of the river, to the west of Chang'an, and then to the east of Luoyang and back to Kaifeng. Walked all over the ruling area.
Through the first three patrols, it can be seen that in the past, Emperor Liu and even the imperial court focused on the northern part of the territory. Therefore, it is now five years since Kaibao, ten years later, and the tour has begun again, and the direction has also changed.
This time, Emperor Liu planned to go east and south. Although the north and the south were unified, they were divided for more than half a century, and there was some estrangement. One of the purposes of Emperor Liu's visit was to try to eliminate this gap, appease the hearts of the southern scholars and people, and strengthen the rule of the Han Dynasty.
As a financial and taxation center of the Han Dynasty, it was also qualified to receive Emperor Liu's attention. If you want to find a template for Emperor Liu's thoughts and practices among previous emperors, the most similar one is Emperor Sui Yang. However, compared to Emperor Sui Yang, the difficulties faced by Emperor Liu were much smaller.
However, the scale of this tour is also the largest in history. Except for those who were unwell, all the concubines and concubines of the harem were brought with him. Among the princes, except for a few elders and those under eight years old, they were also brought with him. The ministers and officials took with them one third of the accompanying troops. There are also more than 10,000 people.
The travel route has also been planned, divided into two routes: land and water. The water route was led by Shi Shouxin, who led the dragon boats and official ships from Bian and Si to Huai and arrived in Chuzhou to wait. The land route was for camp, and he patrolled Henan eastward. As the hinterland of the Central Plains, the basic base of Han rule, Emperor Liu had never seriously visited it in so many years.
"This time, I am on a patrol. I don't plan to return to Beijing in a short time. It is up to you to supervise the country. You should listen to the advice of the princes, think carefully and act carefully, and do what you want!" In the Long Live Palace, Emperor Liu summoned the prince Liu Yang to make the final decision. Admonished.
Facing Emperor Liu's gaze, Liu Yang was as respectful as before, bowed and said: "Yes!"
Looking at his prince, he has become more and more calm after getting married, and he is very satisfied. Although he has never been known by others, what Emperor Liu was most satisfied with as the prince was not his intelligence, let alone his ability to handle affairs, but his humility and lack of "aggression".
For an emperor like Emperor Liu, it is better for a prince to be moderate. Emperor Liu is not the kind of monarch who likes to choose a successor according to his own template. Although he will like his heirs, for Emperor Liu, that kind of like is not a bonus when considering the inheritance issue, but a deduction. item.
At least, in terms of his own personality, Emperor Liu still has some B qualities. If there is really a son like him among the sons, if he thinks about it carefully, he might even shudder...
In the spring and March of the fifth year of Kaibao's reign, the royal chariot left Kaifeng, and Emperor Liu embarked on his fourth tour.
