Liu Xiu spread out an account book, and told the Son of Heaven the relevant accounts of the state in detail, and finally said to the Son of Heaven, the minister went to the frontier for a year and a half, and there were two small wars, although each time it was only two or three months, but the cost was also a lot, until now, the minister still owes more than 300 million money to the people of the state, if it were not for the people of the state to protect the family and defend the country, strong support, how could the minister win these two battles.

The Son of Heaven was taken aback, and the taxes paid to the imperial court in a year were less than 30 million, and Liu Xiu owed them 300 million?

"What year will you be able to pay it off?" The Son of Heaven felt as bitter as if he had just drunk a decoction in his mouth.

The minister estimated that if there was no major war, the minister was confident that he would be able to pay off his debts within ten years, and then spend another ten years developing the economy of the state, and after twenty years, he would be able to ensure that the state would be self-sufficient, and the annual tax would reach 100 million. For another ten years, the minister hopes to pay 300 million in taxes. ”

The Son of Heaven waved his hand with a smile and laughter, "Don't talk empty to me, three hundred million?" Yuzhou's annual wealth is only 300 million, and the state can have 300 million? ”

"Your Majesty, this is not empty words, the minister is sure." Liu Xiu said very seriously.

"Sure? The most important thing for you now is to defeat the Xianbei people and let Tanshi Huai pay tribute to me, not just a few Xianbei tribes. The Son of Heaven's eyes opened: "You have only fought two battles, and you owe so much debt to the people of Bingzhou, can you still defeat Tanshi Huai?" ”

"Your Majesty." Liu Xiu cried with a sad face: "Just this mess in the state, how can the minister defeat Tanshi Huai." It's easy to defeat him once or twice, and this year the minister has already done it, but if you want to completely subdue him, it can't be done in one or two battles. How many years did it take Emperor Xiaowu to fight the Huns? Your Majesty wants your ministers to defeat Tanshi Huai within two or three years, isn't it ......?"

"Isn't it what?" The Son of Heaven rolled his eyes, revealing a skinny posture. Liu Xiu shrank his neck and muttered: "Anyway, I can't do it, whoever likes to do it will do it." I also went back to Luoyang to open a noodle restaurant and do business. ”

"Hey, you dare to pick a son with me?" The Son of Heaven was angry and funny, thought about it for a long time, and finally raised his leg and gave him a kick, pointed at him and scolded: "You owe 300 million yuan to the people of Bingzhou, who would dare to take over?" If you want to do it or not, you can either find someone who is willing to repay the debt to replace you, or you will pay back the 300 million first. Otherwise, you'll have to take responsibility for me until you die. ”

Liu Xiu was unconvinced and asked rhetorically: "This is not my family's business, why should I pay back 300 million?" ”

The Son of Heaven was so angry that he couldn't speak, pointing to his hand and trembling: "I'm wondering, how can you make money when you do business for yourself, and lose money if you do things for me?" You did it on purpose, right? ”

"That's not right, when the minister opened a noodle restaurant, he also lost money first and then made money."

The two of you and I argued back and forth, Zhang Rang arched his hands and stood in the distance, with a smile on his face, but there were bursts of worry in his eyes. Three hundred million? Oh my God, isn't this a quagmire? As for the state's little financial income, which year will it be paid off. The Son of Heaven will definitely not pay this money, whoever wants to take over the history of the state assassination, he has to fill in 300 million first, and he is a fool. With so much money, I can do it all over again.

Liu Xiu and the Son of Heaven talked childishly for a long time, and finally the Son of Heaven put away his smile and asked, "If you are left in Bingzhou, can you defeat Tanshi Huai?" ”

Liu Xiu also put away his stubborn smile and said solemnly: "If the minister can't defeat Tanshihuai and let all the Xianbei people pay tribute to His Majesty, the minister will not leave the state." Without waiting for the Son of Heaven to be happy, he said again: "The minister is younger than Tanshi Huai, and he will be consumed to death." ”

The Son of Heaven laughed out loud, raised his leg and kicked him again: "So you have such a plan." ”

Liu Xiuxu gave in for a moment, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, judging from the situation this year, the minister can keep the border safe and sound, as long as this situation persists for a few more years, the strength of the Xianbei people will inevitably be greatly affected. Just having the upper hand, it is not equal to the final victory, if you want to completely defeat the Xianbei people, it will take at least three to five years of war, and the minister estimated that it will cost at least about eight billion. Before getting ready, the minister didn't want to act rashly, otherwise this would inevitably evolve into the story of Xiqiang, which lasted for decades, cost tens of billions, and ended up being a mess. ”

The Son of Heaven frowned tightly, and muttered for a long time, "I think that the people of Bingzhou are not without money, they can come up with 300 million to support you in the war, but they have not made a fuss, it can be seen that their family background is very thick, why don't you learn from Zhang Jiao, he has been in Jinan for a year, cracking down on Haoqiang, and the people of Jinan are whole, and the family assets searched out are enough to 200 million." He looked at Liu Xiu with a sharp look in his eyes: "Don't you think it's easier and faster?" ”

Liu Xiu frowned: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that this is to fish with all his might, killing chickens and taking eggs, it seems to be more effective, but in the long run, it is by no means the way to long-term peace and stability." ”

The Son of Heaven's face sank, and he snorted unhappily, quite disapprovingly. He stared at Liu Xiu for a long time, feeling that Liu Xiu was not bold enough in this matter, and couldn't help but shake his head with regret.

"I'm going to let several of Zhang Jiao's disciples come out to be officials, starting from the county order." The Son of Heaven said.

Liu Xiu hesitated for a moment, didn't say anything, just bowed and bowed. The Son of Heaven waved his hand, signaling that he could go, Liu Xiu bowed, exited the hall, and was just about to turn around and leave, when he remembered something, took out a brocade box from his arms, and handed it to Zhang Rang who was standing aside, "This is a gift prepared by the minister for Your Majesty, I was happy to see Your Majesty for a while, and I forgot it, please forgive Your Majesty." ”

The Son of Heaven blinked, watched Liu Xiu leave, and then took the small brocade box from Zhang Rang's hand, and opened it to see that it was a small seal, like jade and stone, with bright patterns like blood, carved with a turtle button with a simple shape. He looked at the inscription and couldn't help but sigh. The inscription is not the common Miao seal, but a more vivid, more lively inscription, distributed in a patchwork of squares, the inscription is a sentence in the Tao Te Ching: Governing a large country is like cooking a small fresh.

"How did this shaft become the same as those sour Confucians, he is a sage classic at every turn, and he doesn't want to think about his knowledge." The Son of Heaven smiled and shook his head, caressing the warm seal with love.

……

The Tai Chi Taoist Hall is very popular, Lu Zhi also rushed back from the Northern Army, sitting in the main hall like the head of the family, talking amiably with Zhang Fei and others, asking about the situation in Northern Xinjiang, Zhang Fei and Hao Zhao stood aside respectfully, and answered one sentence after another, neither daring to talk nonsense, nor daring to perfunctory.

Cao Ying, Xiahou Yuan and Zhang He also got the news and rushed over together, Cao Ying listened to Liu Xiu's advice, rushed back to the capital, and through some operation, he really got the position of captain of Changshui, and he no longer had to be the captain of the transportation brigade.

When Liu Xiu stepped into the door, there was a sound of greeting in the lobby, and the beautiful, neatly dressed Hu waitresses lined up in two columns, and said in unison: "Welcome to the triumphant master of the hall!" ”

"Hahaha......" Liu Xiu felt a long-lost affection, returned the salute to the Hu waitresses, and greeted Mrs. Luo and a group of old employees, and then rushed to Lu Zhi and saluted: "Disciple Liu Xiu, meet Mr., dare to ask Mr. how he is well." ”

"Get up, get up." Lu Zhi was in a good mood, personally pulled Liu Xiu up, and said with a smile: "I'm not old yet, so I don't need to be so verbose." Here, let me see how my protégé is doing. ”

Liu Xiulian said that he didn't dare to be. Liu Bei squeezed up and said: "Big brother, don't be modest, now Luoyang City knows that the two disciples of Mr. are dominant in Northern Xinjiang, one east and one west, and it is difficult to take care of the Xianbei people." ”

Liu Xiu was stunned for a moment before remembering Gongsun Zhan, and hurriedly smiled: "This time Bo Ju is much more beautiful than me, Baima Gongsun Zhan, there is nothing in Northern Xinjiang that I don't know." ”

"Big brother, you have two pastures on hand, and you should also organize two thousand righteous servants." Liu Bei said enviously: "Your battle flag is a Vermilion Bird, just pick a red war horse like that big red horse, and when the time comes, organize a fire and righteousness or something, it must be majestic." Big brother, let me be your general. ”

Liu Xiu patted him on the shoulder and smiled: "You, if you don't do it, you want to go to war?" My husband wrote to me that you are doing well in your studies and that you should have no problem passing the exam this year. ”

Liu Bei smiled, leaned into his ear and said, "Big brother, in fact, I don't like reading at all, but I can't help it." After I took the exam, I worked as a civilian for two years, and then I went to war with my eldest brother to become a civil and military all-rounder. ”

"Okay." Liu Xiu hugged his shoulder hard: "I'll wait for you." ”

"Xuande, what the hell are you messing with?" Lu Zhi glared at him, and couldn't help but smile: "Deran, let's eat quickly, I heard that you are coming back for dinner, Mrs. Luo has been busy for a long time." ”

"That's it, I'll wait for a long time for this free meal, and if you don't eat it, I'll leave." Cao Ying was the first to come up and arched his hand to Lu Zhi: "Sir, please take a seat first, if you don't take a seat, those of us who are juniors don't dare to sit." ”

Lu Zhi happily sat down, everyone humbly conceded to each other and sat down in turn, the wine and food were served, Liu Xiu got up and saluted Lu Zhi first, and then everyone drank heartily and talked about goodbye.

After the banquet, Cao Ying made an appointment to pick up the wind for Liu Xiu tomorrow, so he left first, Zhang He and Xiahou Yuan also knew that Liu Xiu was going to reunite with his family today, so they didn't bother much, so they made an appointment and left one after another.

Wang Chu had already made tea in the study, Liu Xiu invited Lu Zhi to the study, and after the two sat down, they drank tea and sorted out their thoughts, Lu Zhi scattered his smile, and said to Liu Xiu very worriedly: "Deran, you went back to Luoyang this time to report on work, and the resistance you encountered was not small. You have to be careful with it, but you can't make it bigger. ”

Liu Xiu also put away his smile and slowly sipped the tea: "I must keep in mind Mr.'s teachings." His Majesty summoned me today, and I also felt that something was wrong, it seems that during my absence from Luoyang, a lot of things happened again, and even the "Ta Kung Pao" and "Minbao" did not mention it. ”

Lu Zhi scratched his eyebrows and sighed: "I don't approve of this matter, but the Yuan family's "Minbao" is ready to go. ”

"The Yuan family supports the new policy of merging the state?"

"Yes. Among the three princes and nine secretaries, Yuan Kui was the first to stand up and support, otherwise he would not have been able to pass in the first place. However, when Wang Yun went to Beijing last year to report on his work, in the face of the doubts of the Son of Heaven and the ministers, Yuan Kui remained silent, neither said good nor bad, and stayed out of the matter. I know what they're up to, though. ”

"He wants to take advantage of it?" Liu Xiu broke it with a word.

"You guessed it so right." Lu Zhi looked at him appreciatively, "What he is seeking now is to let Youzhou implement a new policy according to the rules of the state." ”

Liu Xiu sneered. Youzhou Assassin Guo Xun is a hardcore supporter of the Yuan family, Youzhou's population and resources are more than those of the state, and there is him, the military governor of Youzhou and Liang, Guo Xun does not have to undertake combat tasks, if Youzhou implements a new policy according to the rules of the state, he does not have to owe the debt of the Youzhou family, on the contrary, he can make a lot of money. If there is a dispute, he can also be pushed to the head of the new deal in the end, and he can pat his ass and continue to be an official in another place.

Lu Zhi opposes the powerful family, but he also does not agree with these officials who use this excuse to enrich their own pockets, and they are even more ashamed of Yuan Kui's practice of reaping benefits from the name of supporting Liu Xiu, which can be seen from his direct call for Yuan Kui's name.

"They're thinking about it too simply." Liu Xiu smiled faintly: "If he wants to learn from me, he can only draw tigers and not anti-dogs." ”

Lu Zhi looked at him puzzled.

Liu Xiu also did not explain that the key to the new policy he and the people of Bingzhou was the contract, which stipulated that the government could not plunder the property of the people at will, even if their family was indeed rich, but could Guo Xun and these people do it? They simply did not understand the important surname of the contract. In the face of this contract, the strong family without the support of violent weapons is the weak, the government that holds the power in its hands is the strong, and it is also the person who is most likely to break the contract.

Liu Xiu didn't dare to say that there were no Qing officials in this world, and Lu Zhi in front of him was one, but he was sure that people like Guo Xun were not, and neither were people like Yuan Kui. If the people do not believe that the officials will keep their promises, it is not surprising that they will hide their family property.

"Annexation is a special case, and it's not easy for them to copy it." Liu Xiu smiled slightly.

Lu Zhi shook his head: "You haven't seen the root of the matter yet, the opposition of the Three Princes and the Nine Princes is all on the surface, and the biggest opponent is the Son of Heaven." This new deal is robbing the Son of Heaven's wealth, and he will not tolerate you for long. He needs you to defeat the Xianbei people now, once the war is over, or the war is lost, it is the end of the new policy of the state, will the people of the state be willing to let go at that time? Grace is like splashing water, easy to put and difficult to receive. ”

Liu Xiu took a sip of tea and thought for a moment: "Sir, I just said to Your Majesty that if I am given thirty years to govern the annexed state, I can not only govern the annexed state to be self-sufficient, but also pay 300 million taxes to the imperial court a year." ”

"How is that possible?" Lu Zhi blurted out.

"The Son of Heaven said the same, but I think it's possible, it's not a lie, but I've calculated it." Liu Xiu said calmly: "But the Son of Heaven can't wait, he said that Zhang Jiao's methods are simpler and more effective. ”

"Zhang Jiao?" As soon as he heard this name, Lu Zhi's face suddenly changed, he put the teacup down on the case heavily, held the case with both hands, took a few breaths, glanced at it, and said in a gentle tone as much as possible: "Deran, you have done a lot of good things and done a lot of wrong things, but this one is the only one that is stupid." ”

Liu Xiu disagreed, "Sir, Zhang Jiao's strength is not because he has accumulated as an official in the court, and the eight disciples are not only available today, I just led them from the darkness to the sun." He sighed, "It's a pity that no one in the Manchu Dynasty noticed his strength, and they were still thinking about his methods, and simply asked for him to be dismissed." Sir, I can tell you that this is definitely not the most direct means of doing so. ”

"Can he still rebel?"

"Why not?" Liu Xiu sneered: "With the help of ghosts and gods, what do you say about the end of the five elements, Huang Yongchi's trick has not stopped for decades, right?" However, Zhang Jiao is not one of those who makes a fuss, if he wants to move, the southeast half of the Han Dynasty will tremble. ”

Lu Zhi was stunned, and then let out a cold sweat, he stared at Liu Xiu with frightened eyes, and muttered: "I know, I know why Yang Boxian (Yang Ci) was worried when he left his job." ”

Liu Xiu didn't understand for a while, "What do you mean?" ”

"After Yang Boxian was dismissed from Situ, he came to the Taoist hall to say goodbye to me, and he was going to go back to his hometown to live for a while. He told me that he had sent a letter to His Majesty recommending the repatriation of the displaced people. It's just that as soon as he went up, there was no news, and he was dismissed, and I don't know if this song can finally reach the hands of the Son of Heaven. ”

As soon as Lu Zhi said the main content of Yang Ci's book, Liu Xiu suddenly felt a chill rise from his back and rush to the back of his head. It has been a few months since Yang Ci was dismissed, and the Son of Heaven has not made any moves, one possibility is that the Son of Heaven trusts Zhang Jiao very much and does not think that he will rebel, and the other possibility is that the Son of Heaven did not see the music at all. In any case, it is enough to show that Zhang Jiao's hand has reached the palace, and he may even have the trust of the Son of Heaven himself.

The displaced people are the foundation of Zhang Jiao, and they are also the most destructive part of Zhang Jiao's strength, and if the problem of displaced people is solved, Zhang Jiao will be deprived of the possibility of carrying out a violent revolution. Yang gave this way, and regardless of whether his method was feasible or not, at least he had recognized the problem.

But there was no reaction at all to this note, if it wasn't for Yang Ci telling Lu Zhi, and Lu Zhi telling Liu Xiu, Liu Xiu wouldn't even have thought of such a note.

Liu Xiu felt that his hands and feet were numb for a while, and he really felt that he had done something stupid. Zhang Jiao's strength is strong, but if he hadn't helped Zhang Ming open up the situation in Luoyang, they might not be able to reach out to the palace, at least Zhang Jiao himself would not have been reused by the Son of Heaven.

So how can it be redeemed now, and can it be recovered? The Son of Heaven said that he would arrange Zhang Jiao's disciples to be officials, is this luring wolves into the house, will it be digging his own grave? Does the Son of Heaven know the danger of Zhang Jiao?

A series of questions made Liu Xiu's head dizzy, and it wasn't until Lu Zhi said goodbye that Tang Yingzi broke in, hugged his neck from behind, and laughed proudly, that he came back to his senses.

"Yingzi, you came just in time, I have something to ask you." Liu Xiu patted Tang Yingzi's round little buttocks, and said in surprise: "Yingzi, I haven't seen you for more than a year, why are you so fat?" ”

"Hehe, most of the delicious food that the eldest princess made for Sister Achu was eaten by me." Tang Yingzi was tired of Liu Xiu's back, and said proudly: "In order to please me, the eldest prince often steals good things from the palace for me to eat." ”

Liu Xiu pulled Tang Yingzi to him, looked at the face that was as round as a moon cake, and frowned: "You can't eat like this anymore, it's too fat and not good-looking, and it also affects the body." ”

"Really?" Tang Yingzi's eyes widened, touched his face, and hesitated for a long time, "Then I'll ...... tomorrow Start eating less next month. ”

Liu Xiu rolled his eyes and pinched her nose: "Tell me, what the nine-section scepter in Zhang Jiao's hand looks like." ”

Tang Yingzi's head shook like a rattle, "I hate that broken nine-section scepter the most, humming and suffocating, but they also like to listen to it, whenever they practice, they have to listen to the broken stick hum, saying that after listening to the hum, their skills are rising fast." ”

Liu Xiu thought for a while, estimating that the nine-section scepter was something that could make a sound, and Zhang Jiao thought that it was a spell that could help with cultivation. "And where did the nine-scepter come from?"

"I don't know, anyway, when I saw Zhang Jiao, he had this." Tang Yingzi shrugged her fleshy shoulders, leaned into Liu Xiu's ear, and said with a wink, "Hehe, who are you sleeping with tonight?" ”

"It's none of your business, I'm not sleeping with you." Liu Xiu glanced at her and said vigilantly. He has been holding back in northern Xinjiang for more than a year, and it is easy to return to Luoyang, how can he waste his good time coaxing this little kid to sleep.

"Hey, hey, hey......" Tang Yingzi crossed his waist and said with a smile: "Don't you want to know how to practice the Fang Zhong Technique?" ”

Liu Xiu almost burst out laughing, and reached out to flick her head: "You big fart kid doesn't know how to blush, and you said the room technique?" ”

"Why can't I say, isn't it just a goblin fight, I've seen too much." Tang Yingzi raised his head and said disapprerovitically: "The people of the Taiping Dao cultivate the art in the room, and I don't see it less." Don't forget, I used to be a saint of the Taiping Dao. ”

"Don't talk about it, what's so hard about that, don't forget, the ring is now in my hand, what you could see before, I can see now." Liu Xiu shook the ring on his hand, there are many videos similar to island country love action movies, and it is really three-dimensional, which can be described as meticulous.

"That's not right, that's not a real intraclinic, at least, it's not a complete intraclinic." Tang Yingzi didn't feel embarrassed at all, as if he was saying something very funny: "For example, the ring doesn't say how the room technique is inherited. ”

"How to pass it on, it's not the master who teaches the disciples."

"Is that a male master teaching a male disciple, a female master teaching a female disciple, or a male master teaching a female disciple, or a female master teaching a male disciple?"

When Liu Xiu heard this, his face suddenly became very ugly. He got up and pushed away the triumphant Tang Yingzi, went straight to Wang Chu's room, pushed open the door, he glanced at Wang Chu, who was wearing a light silk coat and was preparing to take a bath, swallowed his saliva, and asked with some difficulty: "What is your room in the room...... How...... Learned? ”

(To be continued)