"Therefore, when a wise king governs the country, he will be obscure, he will act obscurely, and he will stop when he acts." [Shenzi·Shaofu]
Weiyang Palace, Xuanshi Palace.
The emperor held in his hand Wang Yun's memorandum submitted by Wang Ling, tapping the palms of his hands every now and then.
"I allow the chief inspector to write a letter... There is a famine in Guandong today, and many people are selling their wives and children, and the law cannot prohibit it. In the Liang and Han Dynasties, the Qiang and Hu are in chaos, and it will be difficult to rectify them for many years. This is a deep concern for the country. May your Majesty focus on the fundamentals,
To save the people's strength, the first priority is to pacify the Qiang and Hu, and the first priority is to pacify Guandong... I agree to pay my respects to the head again."
After reciting this memorial in his mind, the emperor sighed to Wang Bin and Yang Qi who were sitting next to each other: "He still doesn't understand where he lost."
Wang Bin, the lieutenant of the Northern Army, is the person who knows the emperor's thoughts best. The heroes in Guandong have risen up, and they have long been regarded as traitors by the emperor. Now they have not raised troops to attack, but they have just paid it back. How can they open their arms to accept rewards one by one, and support the troops to attack?
The principle of letting bygones be bygones?
On the other hand, Yang Qi, the servant, frowned and didn't understand what the emperor meant. He was not too late by the emperor's side. Although he was treated with courtesy as usual and would come to him to consult and discuss important matters, he still felt that he was not in the eyes of the emperor.
He didn't reach the point where he was confidant, and he even vaguely sensed that the emperor was wary of him.
The emperor threw the memorandum on the case and said: "The Yuan family of Runan, who he relied on for his three great ministers and heirs of Confucian classics, is now planning to seize Jizhou under the guise of being a lobbyist, and the other is living in Nanyang without authorization and establishing his own government. This way.
How can a person take the imperial court seriously? How can he loyally assist the Han Dynasty as Wang Yun said?"
"Your Majesty, when Dong Zhuo took over the power and caused chaos in the government, they were revitalizing the Han Dynasty and flanking the Qing emperor. They had to temporarily assume military power and unite all parties to resist the imperial court." Although the Yang family of Hongnong and the Yuan family of Runan are geographically different, they are related by marriage.
It's so good that I have to say a few words for brother Yuan Benchu at this time. "If Dong Zhuo hadn't been worried about the Kwantung Army, the imperial court might not just make him Grand Master and Prime Minister."
The emperor disagreed and said: "Now that Wang Gang has released the bonds, the world is in chaos. The governors of various prefectures, pastoral counties and counties have supported their own troops, just like the ancient princes who took advantage of the situation! At that time, even though the Yuan family had a heart for the country and raised up righteous soldiers, the so-called love
As things have changed, now that Dong Zhuo is dead and the country is stable, if they continue to support the separatist regime, they may have ulterior motives."
Through Wang Yun's memorial and Yang Qi's reply, the emperor can learn that there are still a large number of people in the imperial court who have an optimistic attitude towards the Guandong princes, such as Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu and others, and will raise troops to plot rebellion against them.
His behavior is regarded as a diligent soldier.
In the past few days, there has been a faint rumor in the DPRK. Instead of blaming them for dividing the states and counties and attacking each other, they want to win them over by adding officials and titles.
It seems that as long as the court does this, they will obey and treat the court with respect.
Yang Qi and others are limited in their vision, and they are not as clear as the emperor who has a thorough understanding of this period of history. Now the Han Dynasty has lost its prestige, the central government's control over the local areas has plummeted, princes are rising one after another, and the world is in chaos. Yuan Shao and others all want to compete for the Central Plains.
Hegemony, who would care about a small court in Guanzhong?
The emperor believed that it was necessary to unify the internal thoughts, especially the thoughts of his own people, so that they could abandon their illusions and prepare for struggle.
He has no control over what everyone in the court thinks, as long as the close associates around him agree with him.
So in front of a group of cronies, the emperor spoke about this matter seriously.
"Nowadays, the world has become more complicated. If I want to find an analogy, I think it is just like King Ping moving eastward. Although the princes are still dominated by the Emperor of Zhou, they are fighting for hegemony and have no court." The emperor said: "It is so easy for the princes to profess their vassals and serve as kings!
Now I have a hundred thousand soldiers in my hand. I only need to send them out of Heluo, kill one to serve as a warning to a hundred, and then give the rest officers and titles. Who among the princes in the world would dare to disobey?"
The emperor paused and looked at the people present, and saw that they all looked serious. The emperor continued: "But after doing this, although the world has surrendered, within the states and counties, there are still many people dying of hunger, and the people are in dire straits.
, and the two emperors Huan and Ling were no different at that time. If this is the case, what benefit does it have to the country?"
"Your Majesty." Yang Qi stood up and said: "It is an expedient measure to appease Guandong. When the world is temporarily stable, Your Majesty will give you good governance. If you do it slowly, you can gather small streams to form rivers and seas, and take small steps to reach thousands of miles.
effect."
In the eyes of the emperor, the method proposed by Yang Qi was just like being a mason. He only knew how to paint, whitewash and patch up a house that was leaking everywhere and could be washed away by a heavy rain. He never thought that this house had already reached the point where it had to be demolished and decayed.
It’s time to rebuild the pillars of the building and rebuild the foundation and walls.
The emperor knew that these people were from proud clans and were probably moths on the pillars. If he wanted them to get rid of the harm, it would be better for him to kick the broken house down and rebuild it.
Wang Bin understood the holy meaning and said: "Your Majesty, the princes of Guandong, such as Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu and others, are all divided into one party and attacking each other. They have no intention of governing the land and tranquilizing the people. When they raised troops to rebel against Dong, they were all for personal fame and gain.
, paused and patrolled without daring to move forward. From this point of view, the so-called uprising in order to support the country is rather to deliberately disturb the world and support the separatist regime. Such people cannot be regarded as loyal ministers."
The visitor below, Pushe Yang, seemed a little unconvinced, and retorted: "The imperial court is located in Guanzhong, with blocked roads and messengers. It is difficult for governors and prefects to know the situation of the imperial court. For example, there is no elder king in the family for a while, and the rest are in panic.
What the imperial court has to do now is to restore order, send envoys to Guandong, and order the local area not to use weapons without authorization, and those who violate it will be punished. After all, the princes of Guandong are more loyal to the imperial court and less dissatisfied. How can they treat them all?
Of."
Among these people, even Wang Bin, who understood the emperor's intentions best, just believed that the imperial court wanted to occupy the rightful position and divide and rule the feudal lords of Guandong. It seemed that it was difficult for these people to change their minds for a while.
At the moment, Guanzhong needs to cultivate and recuperate, and it is not suitable to raise troops for war. Therefore, following the opinions of most people in the DPRK, it is not necessary to be gentle to Guandong.
When Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor in Huainan, and Yuan Shao attacked and destroyed Gongsun Zan, etc., we could use facts to illustrate the emperor's foresight.
China has had a tradition since ancient times that the superiors must do the same for the inferiors. If you want to preserve your rank, you must cater to the governance philosophy of the superiors.
The emperor has now given a very explicit reminder, and he is wary of local forces becoming bigger. From the standpoint of the imperial court, it is not wrong. Even if the ministers below are unwilling or confused, they must follow the emperor's lead from now on.
resolution.
Knowing that the basic intention of his words today has been achieved, the emperor finally emphasized: "The world is in turmoil, and we can no longer treat it with common sense. When Wang Situ sent envoy Zhang Zhong to Guandong, it has been more than a month now, but there is a state minister."
The governor has come to court with an invitation? However, what I have said is the same as what Pushe said: all the people of Guandong should slowly plan for it, and those who are compliant will be rewarded with titles and honors; those who are not compliant, they will raise troops to attack them."
Everyone is a good person. The emperor has said this. If you still can't see the situation clearly, there is no need to say more.