Chapter 481: Opposition between Prime Minister and Imperial Power
In the twelfth lunar month of 193, not a single snow fell in Guanzhong.
This is not a good thing.
It is said that auspicious snow heralds a good year. If it does not snow, fewer insect eggs will die in the fields, and the probability of insect damage in the coming year will be higher. When the spring thaw begins, the fields will not be moist, and the moisture will be insufficient, which will have a big impact on spring plowing. The seeds
The germination rate will be lower.
The lack of snow in winter means that the moisture content in the air is low and there is a risk of drought.
In an agricultural society, drought is equivalent to famine, and famine will kill people on a large scale.
You must plan ahead!
Never turn a blind eye.
Therefore, in the first month of the fifth year of Chuping (194), officials in Sanfu counties received orders to organize manpower, dig wells to fight drought, and burn wasteland and eliminate insects before spring plowing.
After the famine was burned once in autumn, if it was burned again in the spring, the people would have to cut grass and cut firewood and transport it to the fields for burning again.
"Can Da Sima really do things so hard that he is not afraid of causing public dissatisfaction?" The Wannian County magistrate kept complaining. They had to burn wasteland, dig wells, and have spring plowing soon. Officials like them would be very busy.
"You dare to disobey the order?" County Magistrate Xu Miao glanced at the county magistrate's neck and said in a cold voice.
He was from Youzhou and Ji County, Guangyang County, Youzhou, which was Liu Xiang's fiefdom.
I grew up listening to the stories of my lord.
He remembered clearly that when he was a child, there was a locust plague one year. His lord had predicted it at the beginning of the year and ordered the land to be burned. Since that year, burning the land after autumn has become a tradition in Youzhou.
Later, this tradition spread to other states and counties and became a regular practice. Facts have proved that burning wasteland is indeed beneficial to preventing insect pests, and turning plant ashes into the soil can also fertilize the fields, with no harm at all.
"Do you want to die?" he asked the county magistrate again.
The county magistrate was an old official of the third auxiliary. When the Anping army entered Guanzhong, he made minor contributions and was promoted. He didn't have the same resentment as other scholars, but he was just a habitual cheater.
Hearing the words of the county magistrate, I felt a chill on the back of my neck. I remembered Da Sima's "accomplishment" of killing thousands of nobles in Sanfu. Suddenly I remembered that my boss was from that feudal family. I was so frightened that my lips turned white and I laughed sarcastically.
He replied:
"Your Majesty, please don't joke. You are humble and cowardly. I am just worried that the common people in Guizhou do not know what is good and what is wrong, and cannot understand the profound meaning of the great Sima. I have no intention of complaining."
"The people can't understand, so we, the officials, need to tell them. Otherwise, what's the point of waiting?" Xu Miao wrote a notice and ordered: "Organize officials to go to the city gates and every township pavilion to read out drought relief
Notices on pest control must be spread throughout the county and labor must be arranged as soon as possible. Anyone who is slack will be severely punished."
"only."
Naturally, the county magistrate would not dare to be lazy and disobey orders. He is a smart man and has no habit of seeking death.
Like Wannian County, most counties have taken action.
Natural disasters are very terrible things, but what is even more terrible is that when the hidden dangers of natural disasters are discovered, they do not find ways to eliminate or rescue them. Instead, they take advantage of the disaster to make a fortune and eat steamed buns with human blood. This leads to the simultaneous occurrence of natural and man-made disasters, and the harm of the disaster is as follows
The snowball generally expands.
Why does the end of every dynasty give people the impression of frequent disasters?
In fact, disasters did not only occur at the end of the dynasty. It was only during the period of political clarity that when natural disasters occurred, there were people to provide relief to prevent the disaster from expanding. There was also systematic management in normal times, and certain prevention and elimination measures were taken for floods and droughts.
Therefore, it will not be like in the last days, where natural disasters will turn into man-made disasters because of the interests of a small number of people, with the land spread thousands of miles apart and people eating each other.
The human heart is much more terrifying than natural disasters!
Did Liu Xiang really predict any disaster? It can be said that he did, or he did not.
He couldn't remember what disasters happened every year, so he didn't "predict" it from history books. But since it didn't snow all winter, everyone knew that the hidden danger of drought was huge. Anyone who knew about farming knew that the probability of insect disaster was very high.
big.
If you know the hidden dangers, take precautions. Even if the drought does not come, there is no harm in drilling more wells. Even if the pest disaster does not occur, burning the wasteland more can effectively reduce the pests and diseases. The remaining plant ash can also be used as fertilizer.
Is it better than being indifferent, waiting for a disaster to happen, and then taking the opportunity to buy land at a low price, turning the people into tenants and seclusion, and turning other people's wives and daughters into slaves?
Every disaster is a history of blood and tears for the people at the bottom and a gluttonous feast for capital.
This has been the case since ancient times.
Every pore of capital reeks of blood. Never praise them.
Even though Liu Xiang is now only one step away from reaching the top and has become the largest landlord, the largest capitalist, and the most powerful person in this era, he has never felt that he is noble. Although many people are grateful to him and many, many people praise him.
of good reputation.
But he knew in his heart that he just grabbed the power of others. From beginning to end, he was never the creator of wealth. He only had the control over part of the wealth.
That's all.
Not noble at all.
Never think too highly of yourself and be blinded by power.
"I am not the Mingjun Holy Lord." Liu Xiang stood on the wall of the North Palace with his back to Xun Yu and sighed: "I can't become the Mingjun Holy Lord in Wen Ruo's heart."
"My lord is benevolent and virtuous, and the whole world knows it. It is a blessing that you can follow the Ming lord and do your little bit to calm down the troubled times." Xun Yu didn't know why his lord brought up this topic, but it was appropriate.
He can still flatter me.
What's more, the troubled times were about to be quelled, and he didn't think anyone could do a better job than the lord he surrendered to.
As for the inner desire to guide people in high positions and become ancient sages, this is the highest pursuit of Confucianism, but this kind of thing should be kept in the heart and cannot be stated explicitly.
Liu Xiang looked into the distance, but could only see the city wall of Chang'an.
"I don't want to be trapped in the palace. I want to be a virtuous king who governs from the top. The palace cannot trap me, Chang'an cannot trap me, and you can't trap me either."
Xun Yu's heart skipped a beat. Recently, all the officials up and down were trying to prevent his lord from conquering the army himself. They went too far and aroused his lord's disgust. Was it counterproductive?
He has clearly seen this person's temperament over the years. He is extremely tough at heart and will not stop because of other people's opposition. The louder the opposition, the more resistant he becomes.
As a minister, you can give advice, and the Lord will think carefully about it, but you can never be his boss.
How could a person who dared to rebel at the age of sixteen let others be his master?
The voices of obstruction have been too loud recently, and it has already involved the struggle between the Prime Minister and the Imperial Power. Has the Lord begun to have antagonistic emotions?
How should we persuade them? Yizhou and Jiangnan have not yet been pacified, so we should not be tempted to fight.
"My lord Mingjian, we are only worried about your lord's safety and have no other intentions." Xun Yu did not think of words to persuade him. Even words could not persuade him about this kind of thing.
Liu Xiang turned back and leaned on the battlement, observing Xun Yu's expression, and said: "Wen Ruo, the troubled times have not yet been settled, some people have other thoughts, I can't tell them clearly, you can go and warn them."
The struggle for power is not only between ministers, but also against the master.
This kind of thing is the confrontation between imperial power and prime ministerial power, which has never stopped since the beginning of kings and officials.
Interdependence, mutual checks and balances, cooperation and confrontation.
When the imperial power has the upper hand, it means "I am the country!"
When the prime minister has the upper hand, it is "governing from the top down."
Liu Xiang has now transitioned from a powerful minister to a monarch. Although the process of ascending the throne is still going through, in fact, no one really dares to stop him? No one is qualified to compete.
Therefore, he does not want to treat it superficially.