Zhongshu ordered Liu Fang, Zhongshu waiter Liu Wan and other ministers to hurriedly dissuade them.

Ma Feng used to be a subordinate of the eldest princess's mansion and assisted the eldest princess for many years, and the eldest princess still knew his character very well. Because of his high background, this person has always regarded himself very highly, and his temper is also very stubborn, and he often speaks against the eldest princess. Usually Ma Feng bumped into her, and the eldest princess thought that he was outspoken and admonished, and generally didn't care, but today she couldn't bear it, "No one can persuade me this time, I have to punish him, let him know who counts." ”

There have been too many grief things recently, and the eldest princess is very depressed, and Ma Feng's confrontation seems to have pricked her fragile psychology, so that the grief that has been pent up for a long time suddenly finds a place to vent, and it is out of control.

Ma Feng was dragged out by several tiger guards, and just as he was about to start fighting, Shi Xiaolan and Sima Huangyue, the elders of the Eldest Princess's Mansion, happened to rush to Phoenix Terrace. The two were shocked and hurriedly ordered the guards to suspend the execution. If the general minister prevents the execution, the tiger guards ignore it, because they have no qualifications to stop it at all, but these two adults are different. Although their official positions are not high, they are the subordinates of the eldest princess's mansion, and they are the absolute cronies of the eldest princess, and they can't afford to offend. Especially the beautiful Lord Zhu, who is the most prestigious and charming figure in the Northern Xinjiang Army, who was once born and died with them in Northern Xinjiang, even if he loses his head, he will give her face.

The eldest princess opened the mansion in Jinyang in her early years, and the eldest princess's mansion has always been the center of the Jinyang court. After Emperor Xiaoxian arrived in Jinyang, he needed the assistance of the eldest princess, and the eldest princess's mansion once again replaced the role of Shangshutai. After the death of Emperor Xiaoxian, the young emperor succeeded to the throne, and the eldest princess was in charge. In the palace for a long time, many of the powers of the eldest princess's mansion were immediately transferred to the middle secretary and the middle temple of the inner court, and the eldest princess's mansion left outside the palace gradually became a symbol of the eldest princess's power.

In Jinyang, people are accustomed to refer to the Eldest Princess's Mansion, the Prime Minister's Mansion, the Imperial Historian's Mansion, and the Great Sima Mansion as the "Four Mansions". The state policy is generally agreed by the Son of Heaven, the eldest princess and the four mansions first, and then brought to the court for court discussion, so in the eyes of the people, these four mansions are the places that control the fate of the society.

As for the Taiwei and Taiwei Mansions, one of the Three Dukes, because they are only responsible for military affairs, and the General and the Great General's Mansion, which are prominent in the same position as the Three Dukes, are only responsible for conquest, so the status of these two mansions is much lower. When discussing politics, if there is no military involvement, the lieutenant and the general generally do not participate, and even if they do, they are just observers. If they interfere indiscriminately in matters that do not fall within their own powers and responsibilities, it will be overstepping their authority and a taboo in government affairs.

Of course, if the Great General and the Great Sima are combined into one, like Li Hong is now holding two positions, then the power will be very different.

However, the way the imperial court discusses politics has changed a lot. The powers of the four prefectures of the outer dynasties were greatly weakened, while the powers of the Shangshutai, Zhongshujian and Shizhong Temples of the Middle and Inner Dynasties were gradually increasing. The three central and inner government offices were all under the direct control of the Son of Heaven and the eldest princess, and the general state affairs were basically carried out directly by the Son of Heaven, the eldest princess and the officials of the three prefectures after they were agreed. Only for major state affairs, the Son of Heaven and the eldest princess convened the three governments of the Central and Inner Dynasties and the four governments of the Outer Dynasties to jointly discuss the matter.

Among the four mansions of the outer court, because many of the powers of the eldest princess's mansion were transferred to the inner court, it looks like an empty shell, and it seems that there are no specific powers except for symbolism. In fact, this is just a superficial phenomenon, because the eldest princess is in charge, and the power she brings to the eldest princess's mansion is immeasurable. In a sense, the current Eldest Princess's Mansion is actually equivalent to the center of the society, it overlaps with the functions and powers of the Inner Dynasty, and the two can be transformed into each other at any time.

The existence of the Eldest Princess's Mansion is very important to the Zhongxing of the Han Dynasty, which can not only assist the Son of Heaven in taking charge of state affairs when he is young, coordinate and alleviate the contradictions and conflicts between the internal and external dynasties, but also ensure the smooth transfer of power when the Son of Heaven grows up. The eldest princess's rule is temporary, and her long-term residence in the palace is also temporary, and when the Son of Heaven grows up, the eldest princess will transfer power and move out of the forbidden center. It will take a transition period to transfer power, and during this time, the eldest princess and the eldest princess's mansion will be able to firmly control the overall situation together with the foreign courts, so as to ensure that the Son of Heaven can smoothly control and consolidate his authority, so as to ensure the sustainable development of Zhongxing's great cause.

If you have a close relationship with the people of the Eldest Princess's Mansion, the opportunity for promotion and meritorious service is at your fingertips, so several high-ranking subordinates in the Eldest Princess's Mansion have become the objects of people's admiration. Generally, the officials with a rank of two thousand stones nodded when they saw them, lest they offend them. Especially the long history of being in charge of all things in the house, he is a hot figure in Hebei.

The long history of the Eldest Princess's Mansion was first held by Zhang Fan. After Zhang Fan took up his post in Shangshutai, Liu Fang succeeded him. After the eldest princess successfully revised the official system and set up a secretary supervisor in China and North Korea, Liu Fang immediately served as the secretary of the Zhongshu order. After Liu Fang left the eldest princess's mansion, the eldest princess and the ministers of the court and the central government suddenly discovered that there was no one to succeed the position of the eldest princess.

The implementation of the new official system allowed the eldest princess to further consolidate the imperial power, and most of the authority that was directly controlled by the eldest princess's mansion was transferred to the ban. In this way, the functions and powers of the Eldest Princess's Mansion immediately underwent major changes, and coordinating the palaces inside and outside the imperial court and providing decision-making suggestions to the eldest princess have become the two most important functions of the Eldest Princess's Mansion.

The first of these functions directly determines whether the new official system can be implemented smoothly and whether it can play a huge role after implementation. In order to achieve this function, the new governor of the Eldest Princess's Mansion must have a high prestige among the two military and political officials in Hebei, and must have rich ability to handle government affairs. Everyone is willing to listen to what this person says, and they are willing to give face. Secondly, this person must have outstanding talents, be very loyal to the eldest princess, be very close to the eldest princess, can enter the palace to see the eldest princess at any time, and can provide the eldest princess with the most appropriate, accurate and efficient national political advice.

Looking at Hebei, there is only one person who meets this condition, that is, Xiao Lan, the daughter of the former Taiwei Zhu Jun and the wife of Li Wei, the current Shangshu Ling, this position seems to be tailor-made for her, and she is the only one.

Xiao Lan has been famous all over the world for a long time, and the reason why she is famous all over the world is because on the day of her wedding, she was snatched away from Luoyang City by Li Hong, Yan Liang, Zhao Yun, Wen Chou, Jiang Wu and other eight people. Later, she followed Li Wei to Xiliang and followed Li Hongnan to fight in the north. In the most difficult time of the Northern Xinjiang Army, she was appointed by Li Hong as the General's Mansion to undertake, and undertook the important task of raising grain and grass for the army, helping and coordinating the Tuntian of the Northern Xinjiang Prefectures, and then she has been serving in the General's Mansion, and has presided over the Jinyang Xingyuan and Hedong Xingyuan alone, and has made outstanding contributions to the rise and development of Northern Xinjiang. If she weren't a woman, she would be the head of the court by now. After the eldest princess built a mansion in Jinyang, she warmly invited her to help in the mansion, and has always been one of the respected guests of the eldest princess's mansion.

Initially, Shinoarashi insisted on not accepting it. Because their family is already powerful in Hebei. Now Li Wei is Shang Shuling, Zhu Mu is the Taishou of Hanbei County, and his younger brother Zhu Wei is the imperial historian. Many of his father Zhu Jun's disciples, such as Ding Li, Chen Hao, Tang Yun, and Yin Si, are all senior officials in the court, plus a group of protégés and former officials, the Li family and the Zhu family can be described as extremely noble. If he is the head of the eldest princess's mansion, the most powerful position in Hebei, I am afraid it will bring trouble to the family. Blessings and misfortunes are relied on, and misfortunes are attached, it is better to be a low-key person and not be too public. The eldest princess saw that the persuasion was ineffective, so she thought of a compromise idea and asked Xiao Lan to temporarily lead the long history as a guest secretary, and then appoint another person when there was a suitable candidate.

After the long history of the eldest princess's mansion on behalf of Xiaolan, because of her special status, status and power, she played an important role in coordinating and stabilizing the internal and external courts, and helping the eldest princess formulate and revise many national policies in a timely manner. In particular, it is worth mentioning that in the past few years, Xiao Lan has recommended more than 100 scholars from inferior families or poor backgrounds to the imperial court through various methods such as evaluation, assessment and recruitment, including even some Confucian students from merchant families, which makes the Eldest Princess's Mansion the most effective place to implement the imperial court's meritocracy and meritocracy, and has been appreciated by many Confucian celebrities and ministers of the court.

Today, Xiao Lan and Huang Yue entered the palace to meet the eldest princess, just to discuss with the eldest princess the revision of the imperial court selection system, but who knew that they encountered Taishi Ling Ma Feng being innocently punished.

When the eldest princess saw Xiao Lan, she immediately felt very aggrieved, and her tears couldn't help but flow down.

Liu Fang, Huang Yue and other ministers hurriedly retired.

Xiao Lan walked to the eldest princess and squatted down slowly, wanting to comfort her, but when she saw the thin body of the beautiful girl in front of her, she thought that she bravely took on the heavy responsibility of Zhongxing Sheji with her tender shoulders in the troubled times. For this reason, she sacrificed her beautiful youth, sacrificed her happy life, endured unimaginable pain for ordinary people, and struggled to support herself in hesitation and fear. She should be respected by people, she should live happily and happily, she should not always hide in the corner alone and cry sadly like now.

Xiao Lan opened her arms and hugged her tightly, "It's going to be okay, everything is going to be okay." When the general sends good news and takes His Majesty and you to Luoyang, the most painful and dark days will pass. The spirit of the first emperor in heaven will bless you, and the ancestors and countless heroic souls of the Han Dynasty will give you the greatest happiness and joy in the world. All your wishes and dreams will come true, and you will become the happiest and happiest eldest princess of Dahan. ”

The eldest princess's heart trembled, and she fell into Xiao Lan's arms and cried bitterly, "I'm scared, I'm really scared." They are all gone, they are all gone, and I am left alone in the world to suffer and suffer. I had a nightmare, I dreamed of the general, covered in blood, riding on a leopard, alone in the midst of thousands of horses. I'm scared, what will I do if he dies? Who do I rely on? ”

"Your Royal Highness......" Xiao Lan's heart was wrenching, and she hugged the delicate eldest princess hard, tears coming out of her eyes.

The eldest princess cried for a while, and the pain and sorrow that had accumulated in her heart for a long time were vented, and her emotions gradually calmed down.

"Your Highness, Lord Ma has contradicted you again?" Xiao Lan gently wiped her eyes with a silk scarf and asked softly.

The eldest princess stared blankly at the scroll on the desk and sighed, "He can write whatever he wants." Regardless of whether the general is the first cool official of this dynasty, he will be the first hero of my Han Zhongxing in the future, and no one can erase this achievement, and it will remain in history forever. ”

Xiao Lan smiled, "I remember a long time ago, it seems that when the general was in Hedong to suppress corruption and kill the traitor Xia Yun, the government and the opposition criticized the general for arrogance and bending the law, saying that he was the first cool official in this dynasty. The general was very happy at the time, saying that this cool official was good, and he would rather be a cool official than tolerate and nurture adulterers and let the wicked go unpunished. ”

"However......" Xiao Lan hesitated for a moment before continuing, "this time I am also against the large-scale crackdown on corruption in Qingdao and Yanzhou. The imperial court should have issued an order in time to stop the general's unrestrained killing. ”

"Why? Do you also think that the general did something wrong? The eldest princess was surprised.

"No, the general's actions are beyond reproach, but Hebei is forced by the situation to punish illegal officials and gate lords in such a heavy way now. Now the imperial court is in urgent need of officials, and it is even more necessary for these gate lord families to provide usable talents for the imperial court. If the general wantonly punishes him, it will not only make the crisis of the officials of the imperial court worse, but also make the gate lord clan hate the court after suffering a heavy blow, and the virtuous talents in the gate lord clan may therefore resist the imperial court's conquest and refuse to go out. ”

Xiao Lan said slowly: "Your Highness also knows that since the army began to cross the Yellow River south to pacify the Central Plains, the affairs of the court have increased dramatically, and the officials of the inner and outer courts have worked day and night, and there is almost no time to rest, and the reason is that there are too few available officials. The same situation is in the three prefectures of Hebei, and the same is true in the prefectures of Qingdao and Yanzhou. ”

"The health of several elders has deteriorated, and they have died of illness one after another, which is directly related to their day and night handling of government affairs. If they can get a good rest, they will definitely live a few more years, and they will not die with irreparable regret like they are now. ”

"Northern Xinjiang was very short of officials at a very early age, and the reason why I was recruited by the general to serve in the palace was because there was really no scholar to serve as an official in Northern Xinjiang at that time. At that time, Zhong Yuan went to the capital several times to conquer the capital, but there were few applicants, and the shortage of officials has not been improved. Now more than ten years have passed, and the imperial court has developed from owning the three states of Hebei to pacifying the world. However, the shortage of officials has become more and more serious, and today it has turned into an official crisis. ”

Xiao Lan saw that the eldest princess did not speak, so she continued: "Although we have all worked hard and built many large and junior high school halls in Sanzhou, Hebei, after a person enters the school, it does not mean that you can become a talent after reading the scriptures for a few years. It takes a long time to become a talent, and it requires all living beings to study diligently and diligently. Under normal circumstances, after reciting the scriptures for more than ten years, one or two of the ten beings can become talents, which is very good. ”

"Your Highness, you can take a look at the beings in Jinyang University Hall and Handan University Hall today, some of them are from the clan of the Gate Lord, and some are from the families of officials at all levels, this is the main source of all beings. There are also some salient beings, who are mainly from inferior clans or poor clans from middle-class families, from wealthy families of merchants, and from the kings or nobles of the Saiwaihu tribes. ”

"The children of the clan and officials live a privileged life, and there are not many who can settle down and study well, and most of them are mediocre people who do nothing. The children of the families of the inferior nobles, the poor nobles, and the low-ranking officials studied relatively hard, because this was the only way to change their lives. Among all my lives, the children of this type of family generally have good academics, and almost all of the talents I have recommended in recent years are children from such families. However, compared to the children of the wealthy and the officials, their number is still too small. This is mainly related to their not wealthy family background, many children from this type of background because of lack of money, abandon school early and go home, and finally far away from home to Jinyang University Hall and Handan University Hall for further study. After all, it takes a lot of money to let children continue their studies in Jinyang and Handan, and there are not many people who can do this. But the good news is that it is all talent that can come. I have sent people to visit the county schools in various places, hoping to find more talented people, the results are still relatively satisfied, can persist in completing their studies in the county and county schools, their talents are generally good, many people after completing their studies are in the local county government to serve as Peng's subordinates. ”

"As for the beings from the Saiwaihu tribe, because of the restrictions of origin, language, customs, and other reasons, it is already rare for them to be able to speak the Han language well and understand the scriptures. In addition to learning scriptures and statecraft, they mainly served as a quality task when they came to Jinyang, so people could only try their best to teach them and let the best of them learn something. If the imperial court wants to sinicize the Hu people, it will take time and the efforts of several generations, and our generation will not be able to achieve this goal. ”

"The most striking thing about the new policy of the imperial court was to affirm the status of wealthy businessmen and allow their children to enter the official career. Since Emperor Xiaowu, the Han Dynasty has been cracking down on merchants. The reason why the imperial court was able to make such a major change in the law was entirely because in the past ten years, whether it was northern Xinjiang, Hebei, or the imperial court, they all benefited from the great help of businessmen and tycoons from all over the world. Without the help of these people, Tuntian in northern Xinjiang would not have succeeded, Hebei would not have recovered so quickly, and the imperial court would not have been able to begin to pacify the world so quickly. Of course, the rewards for the wealthy businessmen are also very rich. Seeing their children puff out their chests, and the children of the officials of the Gate Lord, the clan officials, and the children of the clan in and out of the school, standing in the court together, they should also be satisfied. However, since the imperial court began to sell officials and buy knights decades ago, most of the wealthy businessmen have exchanged money for "scholar" status, and there are very few businessmen in the real sense. Therefore, the number of students in this category is the smallest in the academy, and it is even smaller than that of the Hu people. ”

"Jinyang Academy's great sacrifice wine Wang Jian once went to the imperial court, hoping that the imperial court will open more schools, so that qualified "worker" and "peasant" children can also study, and also have the opportunity to enter the official career. This suggestion is too impractical. First of all, the imperial court does not have such conditions at present. Secondly, it costs money to study, buy bamboo slips, copy books from teachers, go to school, go to school far away from hometown to study in a university hall or even go to Taixue, for more than ten years, you need a lot of money, and ordinary "worker" and "peasant" people can't afford it at all. We once calculated that it would take 10 to 15 years for an ordinary child to complete his or her studies in Taixue, and the amount of money he needed would be about 300 years or more of an ordinary family's income. Thirdly, the cultivation of the fields and the production of the workshops require a large number of people, and the more people, the more income. The income of these people who work hard for a year is very limited, at most they have a full stomach to survive, and if they want to have a slight surplus, they have to look at God's face, if there is a natural disaster**, it is difficult to even guarantee survival. These people have struggled to survive all their lives, and studying and entering the profession is just a dream for them. ”

"I have said so much, just to tell His Highness that among the students in the academy now, those who can succeed in their studies and are expected to become the pillars of governance in the future are mainly the children of the clan of the gate lords, officials and some of the inferior clans. There are very few children from poor scholars, small officials and other backgrounds who can embark on official careers, not because the court is unwilling to use them, but because they are subject to various complex reasons, and too few can succeed in their studies. ”

"There are only so many sources of stupor, and there are very few who can succeed in their studies, so even fewer can eventually become officials in the prefectures and counties of the DPRK and China." Xiao Lan sighed and said slowly, "After the students finish their studies in the academy, those who have succeeded in their studies will return to their respective hometowns and serve as low-level subordinates in the local county and county government. A few years later, because of their outstanding political achievements or outstanding talents, the outstanding ones were promoted by the local county magistrate to the Lang Office of the imperial court to serve as Lang officials, waiting for the imperial court assessment, and then successively assigned to the imperial court or local prefectures and counties as officials or senior subordinates. In other words, it takes more than ten years or even longer for a student to grow from the beginning of his studies to the growth of an ordinary official. ”

"In the past, when there was no great chaos in the world, the number of students in Luoyang Taixue reached more than 30,000 at the most, and more than 100 county guards had to inspect several filial piety and Maocai for the imperial court every year, and the Lang Office in the capital was overcrowded for a while. Later, in order to control the number of people, the imperial court had to stipulate that only 200,000 households in each county could be inspected for filial piety. But with the advent of the troubled times, the population plummeted, especially the wealthy men and eunuchs who were on the cusp of the storm were bloodily killed. Now whether it is the students in the university hall or the Lang officials in the Lang Office, they have all become Xihan things. ”

"In order to move the population southward and quickly stabilize and restore the Qing and Yan prefectures, the imperial court spared no expense to transfer a large number of officials at all levels from the three prefectures of Hebei with rich experience in the implementation of the new policy to the Central Plains. These people are the wealth of the imperial court and the foundation of Zhongxing's great cause. In the future, the imperial court will pacify the world, and these people will be county magistrates, county magistrates, taishou, and state ministers in various places, and they will be the mainstay of the central government. If the general cuts them all with a knife, it will be a heavy blow to the imperial court, and it will be a fatal blow to the great cause of Zhongxing. ”

"Killing a few hundred people is just a matter of an eye, but to train hundreds of officials with rich political experience, it will take the imperial court five years, ten years or even longer, it will take a lot of energy and effort, and it will take a lot of money. As the army continued to recover the prefectures and counties, and as the great cause of Zhongxing continued to advance, the imperial court needed more and more officials, and the number of officials at all levels who needed to be loyal to the Han and familiar with the new policies in various places would increase exponentially. But it is impossible for us to cultivate so many talents in the short term, and the great cause of Zhongxing will be greatly delayed, and the imperial court will pay an unimaginable price for today's rashness and impulsiveness. ”

The eldest princess thought for a moment, picked up a few volumes of documents piled on the desk and handed them to Xiao Lan, "It is indeed not easy for the imperial court to cultivate these officials, but what these officials have done has endangered the community. If it is not controlled in time, the consequences are unpredictable. What do you see what they've done? Should the imperial court condone it, should it tolerate the cultivation of traitors and self-destruction? The generals, Li Wei, Liu Daren, and many ministers of the DPRK and China strongly favored the use of thunderous means to kill lawbreakers. I support their proposal, those who should be killed must be killed, even if the court will pay a great price for it. ”

"I'm afraid it's not just a big price." Xiao Lan put the scroll handed over by the eldest princess back on the desk, "Recently, I sent people to many places in Hebei Sanzhou to do some investigations. Do you know how many people are currently in the government with the least number of officials in the three prefectures of Hebei? ”

The eldest princess did not speak.

"Nine people, including the county magistrate." Xiao Lan said, "The government with the largest number of officials is the Assassin Mansion in the three states, with twenty-three people including the Assassin History. Many officials wear many hats. Dealing with official business day and night, many officials are tired and sick, but they are still struggling to support. Because if they are recuperating at home, the official duties of the government will be delayed, and what awaits them will be severe punishment from the imperial court. The situation of the government offices at all levels in Qinghai and Yanzhou is even more serious than that in the three prefectures of Hebei, because they undertake a lot of official duties, and their degree of fatigue is far greater than that of Hebei. ”

"At present, the imperial court controls 44 counties in the five prefectures of Hebei, Qing, Yan, He, and You, plus Hedong, Hanoi, Yuzhou, Luguo, and Xuzhou, Langya, a total of 48 counties, 574 counties, and about 8,600 officials at all levels, with an average of about 15 officials in each prefecture." Xiao Lan's face was heavy, "Your Highness, this is the current situation of the imperial court. In the past, we only had the land of the three states of Hebei, and these officials could support it. But now in the blink of an eye, two large states have been added, and the number of officials required is almost seventy percent of the officials in the three states of Hebei, and there is a serious shortage of officials in the imperial court, which is simply not enough. The reason why the imperial court can still support it in the eyes is largely because of the loyalty of these officials to the Han Dynasty, they look forward to the prosperity of the Han Dynasty, and they are willing to dedicate their lives to the Han Dynasty without complaint or regret. The imperial court was able to fight two major battles in three years, and their achievements were indelible. Although there are also officials who are corrupt and pervert the law, but this kind of person is a minority after all, if this kind of person is the whole of Hebei, the Jizhou War, the Central Plains War, can we win? ”

"This time, if the general kills half of the officials below 600 stone in Qingdao and Yanzhou, the entire Qingzhou and Yanzhou will be paralyzed immediately, the matter of moving south will come to a standstill, the battle against Luoyang will have to be postponed, and the great cause of Zhongxing will be seriously delayed."

"But this is not the biggest price paid by the imperial court." Xiao Lan frowned and let out a long sigh.

"Now, the crisis of the shortage of officials has formed, and the ** of official governance has gradually begun. There are not enough officials, we can find a way, but the ** of the government has been ruled for a long time, and the difficulty of curing it is too great, and we can only find ways to solve it from the source, but killing is definitely not a way. Killing, treating the symptoms but not the root cause, will only make the crisis of insufficient officials more serious. This is like a cancer in a human body, the cause of the disease must be found and cured from the source. Otherwise, you dig up the tumor today, and tomorrow it grows again, and you keep digging, and in the end people can't stand it, and they will die of blood, but the root cause of the tumor is still there. ”

"The current situation in the imperial court is also like this. The consequence of the bloody crackdown on corruption is that there are fewer officials, and the rule of officials is still the same. In the end, the imperial court killed the officials, or the officials were afraid of being killed, and they all fled, and the great cause of Zhongxing collapsed. The defeat of the Great Qin State is a lesson, and the consequence of the heavy punishment and the harsh law must be to accelerate the defeat of Sheji. ”

The eldest princess was stunned by Xiao Lan's words, she sat for a moment, and said with great difficulty: "If you don't kill it, where is the prestige of the Son of Heaven and the imperial court?" What is the dignity of the law of the Great Han? ”

"In the matter of moving south, there has been such a major change, and the imperial court has an unshirkable responsibility, and His Royal Highness should take the initiative to stand up and bravely bear all the responsibility. This will not only not affect the majesty of the Son of Heaven and the imperial court, but will allow Hebei to see a brand-new imperial court, and see the hope of the prosperity of the Han Dynasty, and bad things will become good things. But how to transform it depends on the determination of His Highness. ”

"The decision of the imperial court was very hasty, and then there were many issues such as land distribution, which simplified what was originally a complicated matter. The imperial court ignored the difficulty of moving south and was blindly optimistic. Therefore, a series of proper southward migration strategies were not formulated in a timely manner, and the various French preparations were not complete or not at all. Surveillance is also extremely disadvantageous. For such a major matter, the imperial court actually let the state government solve it on its own, decentralize all relevant powers, and did not send a patrol envoy to patrol and supervise, how could Qingdao and Yanzhou not be chaotic? ”

"There was also a very fatal mistake." Xiao Lan looked at the pale eldest princess, and her tone gradually became stern, "This mistake was caused by His Highness. The southward migration of population and land distribution are directly related to the success or failure of Zhongxing's great cause, and the general is in the Central Plains at the moment, but His Royal Highness refuses to entrust such an important matter to the general. This decision can be said to be the most direct cause of the major changes in this southward migration. ”

"Lord Ma Feng is right, the general is a cool official. During the time of Emperor Xiaoling, the government and the opposition said that the general was arrogant and perverted the law, and he was a minister who brought disaster to the country. Judging from the situation at the time, this was indeed the case. Who dared to openly resist the order like a general at that time, and unscrupulously suppress corruption and kill? Today's Lord Ma Feng stands in a place more than ten years later, looking back at that period of history, and thinks that the general is just a cool official, which is already the most polite and tolerant evaluation. Of course, as a historian, he should not make an evaluation on behalf of future generations, and record it in the volume, and you can't beat him. Lord Ma Feng's evaluation shows the general's current power in the government and the opposition. In the past, we were in Tuntian in northern Xinjiang, then in Tuntian, Sanzhou, Hebei, and then when the Son of Heaven came to Jinyang, we began to implement and promote the new policy, and the success of all these things was due to the general's force, the general's bloody methods and the general's cruelty. ”

"No matter what later generations say about the general, the general's loyalty to the Han is beyond doubt. In recent years, many of the policies of the New Deal, including the revision of the official system that directly affected the power of the great general, were successfully implemented and gradually improved with the full support of the great general, and the prestige of the Son of Heaven and the imperial court was quickly rebuilt and restored to a certain extent. But this does not mean that the Son of Heaven and the imperial court have all the power of the great general, and they can put the great general aside. If there were no generals, Hebei's strength would inevitably decline sharply, and the prestige of the Son of Heaven and the imperial court would have declined rapidly. Looking at this rebellion between Qing and Yan, you will know how much power the Son of Heaven and the imperial court still have after losing the support of the general. ”

"The general's most powerful force now is no longer force, please see this clearly. Hebei's army is now all from the imperial court, and the generals and soldiers of Hebei absolutely respect the Son of Heaven and the imperial court. Even if the general died, the Son of Heaven and the imperial court could still command this army to conquer the world. ”

"What is the most formidable force of the Great General right now? It is his absolute loyalty to the Han Dynasty, the numerous feats he has made to protect the Han Dynasty in the past ten years, the prestige he has built to save and support the precarious Han Dynasty, and the bloody and cruel blood and cruelty that he has piled up with the blood and lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and the bones of millions of innocent beings. The general's loyalty, merit, prestige, bloodshed and cruelty are all his strength, if the Han wants to prosper, if the society wants to revitalize, and if the Son of Heaven and the imperial court want to rebuild the supreme majesty, it is necessary to use the general's strong body as the cornerstone of Zhongxing, and it is necessary to absorb the general's blood to forge the body of the Han Dynasty, and it is necessary to use the general's strong strength to recast the mighty giant of the Han Dynasty. ”

"The great Han cannot live without the great general, just as the great general cannot live without the great Han, their souls are connected, their souls are one, and their lives are condensed together and inseparable."

Xiao Lan suddenly stretched out her hand to hug the eldest princess, leaned into her ear and whispered, "The great general is indispensable to the great cause of Zhongxing, just like His Royal Highness cannot live without a great general in this life." ”

The eldest princess's heart trembled, and a hint of blush suddenly appeared on her pale face.

"It's hard to change what the general has made up his mind about." After thinking about it for a long time, the eldest princess slowly asked, "How can I convince the general?" ”

"Decree of sin." Xiao Lan said without hesitation, "Your Highness and the imperial court openly admit their mistakes. In this way, it can not only reduce the guilt of the officials and wealthy people involved in the case, but also gain their trust and gratitude, so as to minimize a series of bad effects caused by the southward migration, so that all parties can negotiate and resolve disputes in the policies and laws prescribed by the imperial court, and strive to resume the southward migration in the shortest possible time. ”

"However, it is a fact that the officials and wealthy men of Qingdao and Yanzhou are in cahoots, deceive their superiors and subordinates, and bend the law for bribes, and they cannot be pardoned because of one of my own edicts." The eldest princess said reluctantly, "It's too cheap for them." Some people may take this as a warning and atone for their sins, but others may become more aggressive and act recklessly. ”

"Whoever sins the most heinous, kill." Xiao Lan waved her hand, "What is the heinous crime, the imperial court can give a clear explanation to the general, and then ask the general to hunt and kill according to this limit." ”

The eldest princess accepted Xiao Lan's advice and immediately summoned the ministers of various provinces to Phoenix Terrace to discuss matters.

The next day, the eldest princess promulgated an edict in the name of the Son of Heaven.

The imperial court issued a series of new policies and methods to solve the problems of southward relocation and land distribution, and asked the general to immediately send an envoy to Qingdao and Yanzhou to supervise the case.

The specific handling methods of the case of enclosure and land speculation in Qingdao and Yanzhou were also sent to General Dingtao at the same time.

In February, Dingtao, the general marched.

Eight hundred miles of fast riding back and forth, the Son of Heaven and the imperial court's holy decrees were sent to Xingyuan one after another.

The general received a letter from the eldest princess.

In her letters, the eldest princess was very disturbed and admitted that she had made a mistake in moving south. I was reproached in Jinyang for not wanting you to preside over the move to the south, and almost all the ministers accused me, either explicitly or implicitly, that I was doing this to keep you away from government affairs and to weaken your power. I'm really wronged, I'm just worried about your body, and I want you to recuperate for a while. Who knew it would cause such a big disaster. I don't know if you misunderstand me too, but if you misunderstand me too, then I will suffer for the rest of my life and have nightmares every night. In order for me to sleep soundly, you don't misunderstand, okay?

How to deal with the matter of speculation in the green and Yan's enclosures, you have probably received the holy decree. The reason for this is also clearly explained in the Holy Decree. This is mainly the opinion of Sister Xiaolan, she believes that the purging of the rule of officials and killing corruption is only one of the deterrent methods, and it cannot cure the rule of officials. This is like controlling water, blockage will only make the problem more and more serious, the key is to find out, to eliminate and alleviate the intensified contradictions. Especially during the period of the Zhongxing Society, the rectification of the administration of officials should start from the source, and a more complete law and a perfect supervision system were needed.

Seeing that you ordered the iron cavalry to rush into the government offices in various places in a rage and arrest people with impunity, I think you have made the same mistake as me, and I want to solve all the problems at once.

Recently, the ministers of the DPRK and China have discussed many cases together on the case of land speculation in the Qing and Yanquan fields, and have learned many lessons from them. On the basis of the new policy, we should constantly make adjustments and revisions according to the changes in the situation in the world, so as to ensure that the policies of the imperial court continue to maintain vigorous vitality, so as to promote the rapid development of the great cause of Zhongxing. The case of land speculation in the Qing and Yan'an enclosures exposed the impatience of the imperial court after the great victory in the Central Plains, and it was taken for granted that the matter was easy, ignoring the actual situation in the two prefectures of Qingdao and Yan, and throwing away all the caution and calmness in our early promotion of the new policy.

With the advancement of the great cause of Zhongxing, more and more prefectures and counties were recovered by the imperial court, and the problem of shortage of officials and lack of experience of officials became more and more serious. The imperial court is ready to immediately revise the electoral system, with the purpose of "meritocracy and meritocracy", increase the scope of selection, and simplify the selection process. However, due to the limitations of the actual situation, the children of the Hebei gate lord clan and the wealthy businessmen will pour into the imperial court in large numbers, and the good and the bad will definitely occur, and then the corruption and perversion of the law, violations of law and discipline will also emerge in endlessly, and the more serious power struggle will become more and more fierce because of the clan, region, academic views and other reasons.

On the one hand, the great cause of Zhongxing needs officials, and on the other hand, the sudden increase in officials will lead to the struggle between officials and power, and the pace of pacifying the world and stabilizing the society is getting heavier and heavier.

I know the reason why you don't want to stay in Jinyang, I didn't understand it in the past, but now I understand, and I don't want to stay anymore. A large part of my energy now is not making and revising national policies, but arguing endlessly with ministers. Sometimes it takes a lot of effort and physical effort to get through a plan with them. In addition to being tired, the only thing I am glad about is that you supported me in revising the official system before the Central Plains War, so that I could throw off the ministers of foreign dynasties at many critical moments and make timely and efficient countermeasures.

Every time I'm exhausted from fighting with the ministers, I think of you. If you sit next to me, if you speak out to support me, if you roar majestically, it is estimated that no one in the court will dare to bully me. The opposition also disappeared immediately, and any motion could be passed. I miss you so much by my side, that should be when I'm happiest, alas...... You're going to war. You've been on horseback all your life.

When will I be able to see you every day?

Several elders died of illness, and they left their bones in the northern frontier, leaving behind lifelong regrets, with endless pain and sorrow, and left helplessly.

I'm sad. They watched me grow up and pampered me like their child. I always wanted to repay them and accompany them back to Luoyang, but God was so unfair that I took them all away at once.

Sister Xiaolan often comforted me, saying that several elders had laid a solid foundation for the great cause of Zhongxing, and their exploits would forever be recorded in history. Those of us who are in the next generation should fulfill the wishes of the previous generation as soon as possible in order to comfort their souls in heaven. That being said, it's too hard to do. Can our generation accomplish the great cause of ZTE? How many years does it take for ZTE? Ten years, twenty years, or fifty years?

I was very touched by the death of several elders. There are still many old ministers in the DPRK and China, and I have asked them to go home. They have worked hard for the Han all their lives, and I can't let them all die in the court. They should go home and have some family fun. The death of the old minister and the Zhishi made many places vacant in the court. Jia Xu, Zuo Yan, Huang Ting, Guo Ce, Wang Ze, Ling Hu Shao, Zhang Fan, Cui Yan, Xing Hao, Chen Gong, Wei Gu, Tian Yu, Liu Wan, Wei Zhen, Sima Lang, Wang Lie and other ministers have successively filled vacancies, and the continuous promotion of Han Zhongxing depends on their backbone.

Ma Feng was so annoying, he confronted me more than once in front of the ministers. What's so great about him, isn't he just a descendant of the Ma family? Does he have the merits of Lord Ma Yuan? Does he have the talent of Master Ma Rong? Does he have the prestige of Lord Ma Riyan? If it weren't for the fact that he is a relative of ours, I would have cut off his head. This time, I could have beaten him out of my anger, but unfortunately I was touched by Sister Xiaolan and didn't succeed. Next time I get a chance, I won't let him go.

The older this Ma Feng gets, the more he looks like a nasty hornet, and he hates it to death. He said that you are the first cool official in this dynasty, how can it be justified. When my father was alive, he didn't say that, so what qualifications does he have to talk nonsense? I asked him to delete that sentence, and not only did he not delete it, but he also spoke up. This kind of hornet is the most hateful in the world, he has no ability, and he speaks ill of others. This time I spared him, if he didn't change, I let him go to the desert to see the stars, and I wouldn't let him come back until he died.

Let him go to the desert and dance with wolves, do you think my method is very clever? Hmph, it provoked me, I let him, a hornet, go to the desert and eat cow every day.

When I think about it, I feel very relieved and funny. Oh, and there's one funnier thing. You can't say that I told you about this, otherwise Sister Xiaoyu will be unhappy.

A few days ago, Sister Xiaoyu went to visit Boss Zhao Qi. The old man said that his days may not be numbered, and he wants to go to Longshan Zhonglietai to have a look. Sister Xiaoyu went with him. Xiu'er also wanted to go, but Sister Xiaoyu disagreed, saying that she was crazy all day long, and she would cause trouble if she took it out. Xiu'er immediately changed into a set of clothes, pretending to be very quiet, begging repeatedly, swearing that she would never cause trouble. The group arrived at Longshan, and after paying respects to the martyrs on the martyr's platform, they went to the Longshan camp to visit Lao Guan and a group of veterans of Lu Longsai. Every year on the New Year, Sister Xiaoyu has to take them to the General's Mansion to celebrate the New Year together, so this time, they have to be hospitable to express their gratitude no matter what. Originally, this was a very happy thing, but who knew that Xiu'er ran to the stove to mess around and accidentally set the stove on fire. It happened to be windy that day, and in the blink of an eye, the fire swept through the entire Longshan camp in an instant.

Although the Yongsan battalion does not have troops in peacetime, there are tens of thousands of people, most of whom are disabled veterans who have been homeless after the previous wars, as well as craftsmen who have been recruited from all over the country to make heavy ordnance, and there is also a huge military market inside. The fire almost burned down the Longshan camp, but fortunately, the supplies and ordnance were stored in the Longquan Valley, otherwise the loss would have been unimaginable. Tens of thousands of people fled in droves, and the scene was horrible, but fortunately there were no casualties.

Xiu'er was frightened and hid in the fire and didn't dare to come out. Boss Zhao Qi personally rushed in with the old kidnappers, and even coaxed and persuaded them, and finally rescued Xiu'er. I heard that Zhao Qi's beard was burned off in half.

Sister Xiaoyu was angry and has not recovered yet. She didn't dare to write to tell you, because she was worried that Sister Fengxue would worry about Xiu'er returning to Jinyang. Then you have no one to take care of you.

Don't worry, I've taken care of this matter, and I've paid for everything. The Yongsan camp is being rebuilt and will soon be restored. Sister Fengxue, you will hide it for the time being, and tell her later.

The reason why this incident is funny is because Xiu'er is now famous, and she burned down the Longshan camp alone with the strength of one person, causing a sensation in Jinyang. A group of children respected Xiu'er like a god, and even Yan Ba, the son of Lord Yan, bowed down and called her sister when he saw Xiu'er, and treated her with respect. Not to mention our little genius, he follows Xiu'er every day, and he can't wait to be a horse for her to ride. Seeing Xiu'er's swaggering appearance, I couldn't help but laugh. I really can't believe that Xiu'er is a girl. But it's not surprising to think she's your daughter. If there is a father, there must be a daughter, and they are all lawless.

Speaking of Xiao Tianzi, I think of one thing. Do you remember the first time you went to Luoyang and gave me the horn? I was so tired arguing with the ministers in Phoenix Terrace that day, and when I returned to the dormitory, I couldn't help but think of you, and remembered the first time I saw you in Changle Palace. I found this horn, and it suddenly occurred to me that if someone ran to Jinyang at this time and said that I was a relative of the general, what should we do? How can you confirm that this person is your loved one? You have no memory of the past, and we can't tell what people say. Do you still not remember anything about the past?

When Xiao Tianzi saw this horn, he had to argue for it. This is the first gift you have given me, and I certainly don't want to give it. But seeing his pitiful appearance, I couldn't bear it, and when I was embarrassed, Xiao Tianzi suddenly said a word, I was surprised and stupid, how can this kid know everything? Xiao Tianzi saw that I didn't react for a long time, thinking that I didn't want to, so he immediately wrote down this sentence on the silk silk, and solemnly put it in a brocade box, saying that he would exchange this sentence for my horn number. I gave him the horn right away, and if I didn't exchange it with him, I would have nothing for the rest of my life. Do you know what Xiao Tianzi said? I won't tell you unless that day does come.

Will there really be that day?

Li Hong thought about it for a long time, but he couldn't guess what Xiao Tianzi said. A four-year-old child, what can he say to make the eldest princess so excited?

But thinking of his family's Xiu'er, Li Hong was really a little worried. If this child keeps being so lawless, Xiaoyu will die of anger sooner or later. He hurriedly wrote a letter to Xiaoyu, with kind words to comfort him. sent another letter back to the eldest princess, asking her to discipline Xiu'er more. Judging from the letters, Xiu'er has been staying in the palace since she burned down the Longshan camp and didn't dare to go home.

The death of Cui Lie and other five elders had a great impact on Hebei officials.

Li Hong set up the spiritual tents of several elders in Xingyuan, and the civil and military ministers of Qing and Yan came to pay respects. Many relatives, friends, disciples, and protégés of several elders also came to worship after hearing the news.

Cui Jun, the son of Lord Cui Lie, hurried back to Jinyang to mourn.

This incident seriously affected Li Hong's anti-corruption in Qing and Yanzhou, and gave the imperial court time to save the situation. After Li Hong was ordered to take charge of the military administration of Qing and Yanzhou, the anti-corruption was immediately changed to rectification, and a bloody storm quietly subsided. However, Li Hong's move had an immediate effect, especially after killing 17 officials involved in the case and 21 relatives and children of the wealthy men involved in the case, the officials at all levels who were frightened and the wealthy men who were involved in the enclosure and land speculation submitted a petition as soon as possible, handed over the illegal gains, and returned the land.

In early March, the southward migrants continued to cross the Yellow River into the Central Plains.

On March, Yangzhou.

Cao Cao and Sun Ce fought continuously in Shu County and Juchao. In the first month of this month, Cao Cao was defeated in Shu County and retreated to Hefei in embarrassment.

If Cao's army could not occupy the Lujiang River, the battle to attack Jiangdong in the later period could not be launched, so Cao Cao was very anxious and summoned Guo Jia, Man Chong and others to discuss. Liu Xun proposed to make peace with Yuan Yao and join forces to attack Sun Ce. Cao Cao then sent Liu Xun's younger brother Liu Kai to Longshu to contact Yuan Yao.

In mid-March, Yuan Yao and Liu Ye led the army to attack. Sun Ce was worried that he couldn't find them, and when he heard the news, he was overjoyed and oversaw the attack.

Yuan Yao fought and retreated in the direction of Chaohu.

At this time, Cao Cao had already set up 20,000 ambush soldiers in the Eagle Shooting Pavilion northwest of Chaohu Lake, and they were like a fierce tiger with a bloody mouth, quietly lurking in the depths of the mountains and forests, waiting for Sun Ce's arrival.