Under the coercion of the Son of Heaven, the proposal to reopen salt and iron was successfully passed by the collegial meeting of the three governments and the edict was issued to the whole country.

As expected by the Son of Heaven, Luoyang immediately set off a general wave of opposition, and this time, the scholars of Luoyang directly aimed the spearhead at the Zhongguan, they called on the Son of Heaven to eradicate the traitorous eunuchs, rectify the rule of officials, and severely punish corruption. The Son of Heaven abolished the official sale of salt and iron, and the beneficiary was not the state, but the corrupt officials all over the world. The reopening of salt and iron will not only fail to enrich the country and strengthen the people, but will make corrupt officials everywhere more emboldened, and the result will not save the dying Han State, but push the country to the road of destruction.

However, the attitude of the ministers of the outer court surprised the Son of Heaven very much, and they remained silent on this matter, neither opposing nor supporting, and there were very few recitals to exhort the Son of Heaven. The fact is cruel, and the state is at war, and the treasury has no money, the war in the past few years has completely exhausted the financial and material resources of the Han State, even if the reopening of salt and iron is to drink doves to quench thirst, it is necessary to do it, this is already the only way to accumulate wealth. If the benefits of salt and iron are in the pocket of the Son of Heaven and a few people, it is better to open up the business and let the Dasi Nongfu also get a piece of the pie. The salt and iron of Bingzhou and Hedong have been open for more than half a year, and its huge profits have successfully supported the tuntian of Bingzhou. Facts speak louder than words, and at a time when the DPRK is corrupt and the country is in danger, the role of reopening salt and iron is still very obvious.

The princely magnates, corrupt officials and corrupt officials who had an affair with salt and iron were the first to worry that the reopening of salt and iron would damage their vested interests, but the liberalization of salt and iron in Bingzhou and Hedong gave these profit-hungry thieves a surprise. They became the backbone of this support for the Son of Heaven to reopen salt and iron.

The salt and iron turmoil has not yet subsided, and another shocking news came out from Shangshutai that the Son of Heaven was going to build another army of 30,000 people in Luoyang.

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After the general He Jin got the news, he hurriedly summoned He Hao, Yuan Shao, Xu You and others to discuss.

After He Hao was injured, the heart of emasculation became more urgent. He saw that He Jin was weak, so he immediately came forward with Yuan Shao, and invited his friend Zhang Miao, a famous party member from Dongping, and Wu Fu and Wu Ziqing, who were from Runan, to Luoyang. Years later, because of the amnesty granted by the Son of Heaven, Xu You, a native of Nanyang, also returned to Luoyang. These people used to be good friends, and they were all frequent visitors to Yuan Shao's mansion back then, and they planned several actions to rescue party members from Beisi Prison.

Yuan Shao recommended Wang Kuang and Bao Xin to the general, Xu You recommended Hua Xin, a plain man, and Kong Rong recommended Chen Lin, Feng Ji, and Bian Rang.

Yuan Shao felt that it was not enough, and none of these people were important figures at present. The general lacks the world-famous people to sit in the general's mansion, and it is difficult to get the full support of the world's corporals after all. So they suggested that the general invite Yingchuan Shuoru Xun Shuang and Shanyang Gaoping Daru Wang Qian to enter the mansion.

When the general heard this, he was surprised and delighted, and accompanied by Liu Biao and Zhang Miao, he personally rushed to Yingchuan to invite Xun Shuang. Xun Shuang was unwilling, he looked down on He Jin, and he didn't want to join the ranks, but he couldn't resist the persuasion of Liu Biao and Zhang Miao, plus the temptation that he could use He Jin's power to eradicate the traitorous eunuchs, he still came to the capital with illness. He Jin wanted to worship him as a long history, but Xun Shuang didn't do it and recommended Wang Qian.

Wang Qian's family background is prominent. His grandfather Wang Gong was the Taiwei of the Shun Emperor Dynasty, and his father Wang Chang was a famous party member and was the Sikong of today's Zi Dynasty. (His son was Wang Ji, one of the seven sons of Jian'an, who later became famous all over the world.) He had a close relationship with the gate lord clan in Luoyang, and it was very suitable for him to serve as the chief of the General's Mansion. Wang Qian received a recruitment from the General's Mansion and ignored it at all. Xun Shuang then wrote a letter to him, carefully explaining the purpose of coming to Beijing. In the current situation of the Great Han Kingdom, only with the help of the power of the great general can the traitorous eunuchs be eradicated and the dynasty revived. As a subject of the Great Han Kingdom, if you want to do your best for the rise and fall of the country, how can you take care of your identity and enjoy the blessings at home and give up the righteousness?

Wang Qian was hindered by his affection and entered the general's mansion for a long history. In order to get close to him, the general He Jin whimsically wanted to marry him. Wang Qian sneered, mocked He Jin, packed his things and wanted to walk. Fortunately, at this time, Yuan Kui came forward to play a round and tried his best to keep Wang Qian behind. The general He Jin was very chilled. No matter how low his voice is or how noble his status is, in the eyes of these high-ranking celebrities and confucians, he is just the son of a butcher, a relative who is not worth mentioning.

He Jin figured it out, these people, including He Hao and Yuan Shao, were just using themselves, but why weren't they using them? In the future, the eldest prince will inherit the imperial throne, who will rule the country? It's not up to these people yet. Look at today, the villain, the far virtuous minister, and finally the country's governance is in a mess, and they are all about to die. For the sake of the prince and his own future, take a little anger, as long as you are in power in the future, you will not do whatever you want, you can do whatever you want.

The entry of Xun Shuang and Wang Qian shook the government and the opposition, the famous Confucian Shen Tufan, Zhang Hong was invited by Xun Shuang and Wang Qian, and also went to Luoyang successively, and even Zheng Xuan, a master of scripture, was also invited to Luoyang. Although the general He Jin greeted him with the courtesy of his disciples, Zheng Xuan still stayed in the general's mansion for one night and left. He could travel all the way from the North Sea, and that was enough. He Jin's prestige reached its peak for a while, and the number of guests in his home once exceeded 1,000.

The lieutenants were a little panicked, and if this continued, the little advantage they had hard-won would be lost in a blink of an eye. They hurriedly encouraged He Miao, the general of the chariot cavalry, to also invite celebrities and scholars to enter the mansion, although it seemed that the power of the He brothers was inflated, but the lieutenants had a calculation in their hearts, and at the critical moment, He Miao was the greatest force of He Jin. Le Yin of Anping, the great Confucian of Jizhou, was recruited by He Miao as a long history, and Le Yin immediately came forward and invited friends and disciples to enter the mansion one after another, and the number of visitors to the Che Cavalry General's Mansion also reached more than 500 people.

Just when He Jin was in high spirits and ready to make a big move, the Son of Heaven suddenly wanted to build an army, which gave He Jin a blow to the head and immediately made him nervous.

At this time, He Hao's body has basically recovered, and his current identity is a guest secretary of the General's Mansion. After He Hao and Yuan Shao heard the news, they couldn't help but applaud and celebrate, "General, this is great news, and a big event has been accomplished." ”

He Jin was happy in his heart, and he was sad, "I want to hear it in detail." ”

"Your Majesty has built an army of 30,000, and he must hope that this 30,000 army will soon have the strength to compete with the northern army, so he needs a considerable number of middle and lower-level officers. Without officers who are proficient in military affairs, neither the formation of troops nor training can meet the requirements of His Majesty, but do these officers have them in the hands of traitors? He Hao said with a smile, "Zhao Zhong didn't, neither did Zhang Rang, their protégés except for being corrupt, sloppy and slapping horses, and having lascivious pleasures, what else would they have?" ”

"These people can only be selected from among the scholars who are both civil and military." Yuan Shao said, "Whether it is the clan or the middle officials, they don't have so many children who are good at military affairs, only we have us." ”

"The same is true of the commanders of the New Army." He Hao continued, "The various forces in the DPRK and China will definitely fight endlessly for these candidates for lieutenants. The Son of Heaven himself doesn't have so many cronies, and he doesn't have anyone he can trust except for that little yellow door Jianshuo, so who else can occupy these positions? Except for the protégés of the nobles and bureaucrats, there was no one else. ”

"Your Majesty is now trying to win over the Shi Clan, as long as we are willing to go, Your Majesty will definitely be very happy." Yuan Shao looked at He Jin and said, "In order to paralyze the Son of Heaven and the Zhongguan, the general's posture should be low-key, and he can even go out of the city to stay in the Northern Army camp for a while, showing a panicked look, so that they will be more relieved and more eager to use our people." ”

He Jin suddenly came to his senses and smiled happily: "Then do you want to choose some people among the Pengshi and doormen in the mansion......

"It would be better if the general wanted to." He Hao said, "If Your Majesty wants to build a new army, you must rely on several ministers of Shangshutai, and you can't count on Jian Shuo's eunuch who doesn't know the art of war?" Lord Huangfu and Lord Lu of Shangshutai will definitely arrange a large number of children of the scholar clan to enter the new army, and the general can rest assured. However, in order to avoid suspicion, it is better to let the original uncle Lord Yuan come forward for these things, and he can recommend them. ”

"In addition, in the new army, we must always arrange some manpower for the lieutenant officials and the clan, otherwise, Your Majesty will not rest assured." He Hao said with a smile, "The general must remember to pretend to be sincere and fearful, and bow down to his orders, the more nervous and frightened you look, the more Your Majesty and the lieutenant will feel that the general is being pinned down by them." As long as they let their guard down on the generals, our chance has come. ”

Yuan Shao said: "The backbone of His Majesty's new army is almost all from the generals and scholars, and this new army is actually the new army of the generals. In the future, when the time comes to make a move, we will have the Northern Army guarding the Gyeonggi Eight Passes, and the New Army controlling the key points of Luoyang. ”

He Jin laughed happily, "If only Ding Yuan's men and horses were still in Hanoi, then we could draw more people into His Majesty's new army." It's a pity that he has gone to Yanmen Pass now, and the thousands of people and horses are estimated to be unable to survive. ”

"Ding Yuan must go to Bingzhou to support." He Hao said, "Zhang Yan's Yellow Turban Army is really unreliable and cannot be used. The northern frontier cannot be lost, and if the northern frontier is lost, Gyeonggi will be in danger. Although Li Hong's life may not be guaranteed if he loses the northern frontier, if the Great Han Kingdom loses the barrier of the northern frontier and loses Li Hong, a fierce general, it will be even more dangerous. When the northern Xinjiang is stabilized and the imperial rule is resolved, we will solve the trouble of Li Hong. ”

He Jin hesitated for a moment and asked, "If Li Hong wins in Bingzhou and Youzhou, we ......"

He Hao and Yuan Shao glanced at each other, and the two smiled knowingly.

Yuan Shao said: "The general is too worried, we still have time in time. Now it seems that the battle of Bingzhou is the most important thing, and whether Bingzhou can be kept is directly related to the safety of Gyeonggi and the future of the Han Kingdom, so Li Hong will definitely come back to help, and as soon as he comes back to help, the counterinsurgency in Youzhou will be delayed, so it is difficult for Li Hong to succeed in quelling the rebellion in Youzhou this year. The Xiongnu rebellion and the invasion of the Xianbei people gave Li Hong a lesson, if you want to think of Youzhou to quell the rebellion, you must first recover the lost territory, stabilize the Xiongnu, and ensure that the state is worry-free, otherwise, you can't go north to Youzhou at all. ”

"If Li Hong wins in Bingzhou and Youzhou, we will find a way to get him out of the fortress and recover the four counties in Northern Xinjiang." He Hao twisted his beard and smiled, "Once you go, it will be difficult to turn back." ”

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At the end of this month, the Son of Heaven summoned his ministers to the West Garden to enjoy the flowers and drink. During the banquet, Xiaohuangmen Jianshuo announced the decree of the Son of Heaven, saying that the world is not only suffering from wars, but the society is in danger, and a new army should be formed in Luoyang.

There was silence in the West Garden.

The ministers had already heard about this, and everyone had their own calculations in their hearts. If you want to stop the Son of Heaven from building an army, it is definitely impossible, whoever stops it will make it clear that he does not support the abolition of the Son of Heaven, that is to say, he and the general are in the same line, so wait for the Son of Heaven to cut off his head.

In fact, if you think about it carefully, the establishment of the army by the Son of Heaven is beneficial to all forces in Luoyang, and there is no need to stop it at all. The Northern Army is a general's, no one can grab it, once the general launches a mutiny, no one is powerless to resist, and now His Majesty will build another army, which can just counter the Northern Army, which is good for everyone, except for the general, of course.

Zhongguan is the happiest. Your Majesty's army is theirs. Who will your majesty rely on to control the army? Of course, it's a lieutenant. Whenever it comes to the most critical time, His Majesty trusts the Zhongguan the most. In the past, there was no army, and everyone was afraid of the threat of the general, but now that it is not needed, the lieutenant can breathe a sigh of relief. With an army, who is afraid of whom?

The gate lord clan was also happy. An army, from preparation to training to the formation of combat effectiveness, needs a large number of civil and military officers to be the backbone, so that this army is actually a powerful force in the hands of the scholars. With this army, plus the Northern Army, it is not easy to kill a few traitors when the time is ripe.

The Son of Heaven and the lieutenants saw the general sitting on the table with a restless expression, and there was still a hint of fear on his face, and their hearts bloomed with joy.

Since there was no objection, this matter was passed, and the Son of Heaven immediately waved his hand and motioned for Jian Shuo to take out the second holy decree. This was the holy decree that ordered Shang Shutai to immediately organize manpower and start preparing for the construction of a new army. Shang Shu ordered Huangfu Song to kneel and receive the holy decree.

At this time, Situ Xu Xiang knelt down and first flattered the Son of Heaven greatly, saying that the Son of Heaven formed a new army and was about to build a meritorious career for all generations, and then said that His Majesty should give this new army a mighty and majestic name.

The Son of Heaven said with a smile: "This matter was agreed in the West Garden, let's call it the West Garden Army, although this name is not very powerful, but I like the West Garden, and I also like this West Garden Army." ”

Xu Xiang then played: "The minister recommended Cao Cao as the commander of the Xiyuan Army......"

Before he finished speaking, Zhao Zhong jumped out, he recommended his younger brother Zhao Yan, the captain of the city gate, as the commander of the Xiyuan Army, and Sikong Ding Gong followed behind to recommend Yuan Shao.

He Jin didn't seem to see the ministers arguing, and sat on the table alone, not knowing what he was thinking. The Son of Heaven glared at him fiercely, jumped up excitedly and shouted, "Whoever is recommended, pay a million dollars first." ”

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Before the Son of Heaven was happy for a long time, he received an urgent document from Yizhou.

In the middle of this month, 50,000 people from Yizhou, Ma Xiang, Zhao Yi, and others rebelled in Mianzhu, and the rebels called themselves the Yellow Turban Army, and their leader Ma Xiang called himself the Son of Heaven. Ma Xiang led a large army, all the way to attack the city, conquered Guanghan, Ba County, and Qianwei counties one after another, and killed Zhao Jian, the assassin of Yizhou. The Yizhou Thorn Mansion is in an emergency.

The West Garden fell silent for a moment.

The Son of Heaven looked at the ministers and scolded angrily: "What kind of world is this? Why is there even a man-made rebellion in a closed place like Yizhou? Tell me, what the hell is going on? ”

The ministers were silent. The Son of Heaven looked around, pointed at Taichang Liu Yan and said, "Aiqing, tell me, what's going on?" Why is it that there are thieves and rebels everywhere in my Great Han Kingdom now? ”

Liu Yan had a bitter face and thought for a long time. How do you tell the truth? Can't say. He had no choice but to avoid the important and said lightly: "Your Majesty, now there are rebellions everywhere, and they have been peaceful many times, mainly because the thorn history of each state and county is small and powerful. Although they knew that some county guards were corrupt and perverted the law, they had no right to revoke them, so they could only play impeachment, and the result was often over, and the people had to take risks and raise troops to rebel because they could not bear it. Along with the rebellion, the assassins often missed the best opportunity to quell the rebellion because they did not have the right to directly recruit the county soldiers to quell the rebellion, so they ......"

"Is there anything Aiqing can do?"

Liu Yan smiled bitterly and said casually: "It's best to be like Jizhou, in some prefectures and counties where the rebellion is serious, change the history of assassination to state pastor, and the state pastor is in charge of the military administration of a state, so that the tension in individual states and counties may be temporarily eased." ”

The Son of Heaven nodded and said, "Aiqing's idea is good. According to Aiqing's performance, I chose Lieqing and Shangshu as the state pastors, and each served with the original official rank. ”

The next day, the Son of Heaven decreed that Liu Yan was the pastor of Yizhou and Huang Wan, the servant of the servant, was the pastor of Yuzhou, that is, he took office in Beijing, and at the same time ordered to move Liu Yu of Youzhou Assassin Shi to be the pastor of Youzhou, Yuan Kui to be Taichang, and Yang Biao to be the servant.

This month, the rebellion of the Great Han Kingdom was repeated, and the bad luck came one after another, and the Son of Heaven was very annoyed, and after two days, he dismissed Cao Song, the Tai Lieutenant, and moved Fan Ling, Shaofu, to the Tai Lieutenant.

Cao Song was not sad but happy, and happily left Luoyang with his family. He persuaded Cao Cao to go back to his hometown with him, saying that the Son of Heaven had built the Xiyuan Army, and he had already put his knife on the general's neck, and Luoyang was about to be in chaos, so it was better to go home early to avoid trouble. Cao Cao refused.

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