"Huo Du said that the right to take the county and eliminate it, the township officials are appointed by the center, and they think it is very good, and they have the right to take the place and belong to the central government. The reason why Ran Han can settle the world, or why it can prosper, depends on the effectiveness of the counties. ”

Wang Cang thought for a little and said: "Therefore, I think that at present, it is appropriate to go step by step, first inspect the officials, and then discuss this matter." It is not advisable to abolish the old government in a hurry, so as to hurt the hearts of the old people and put everyone in danger at their own risk. ”

The reason why the Han formed a unique dualistic monarchical value has a lot to do with the conquest system adopted by the Han. Because of the political system, the pursuit of scholars was derived, and the corresponding social soil was formed.

The county taishou is like a feudal king, acting on behalf of the Son of Heaven, and has the right to remove scholars from serving as officials. Therefore, the value goal pursued by most scholars is not to go to the central government to serve as prime ministers, but to 'learn the history of the county, guard the grave, worry about food and clothing, and be called a good person in the township.' ’

When the county keeper appoints a scholar as a subordinate official, the scholar is under the value of 'eating the monarch and being loyal to the monarch', the county keeper has the grace of knowing the scholar, and the scholar must be loyal to or serve the county keeper.

Under this political system, it is only natural to form unique dualistic monarchical values. In troubled times, the county taishou can not only win the loyalty of officials, but also hold the military and political power, if there is a rebellious heart, like a small kingdom, it is very easy to form a separatist force.

Therefore, in order to strengthen the centralization of power, the abolition of the expropriation system and the transfer of the power of county and county appointment to the center are actually an inevitable trend in the evolution of autocratic politics.

Huo Jun pondered for a long time and said: "The Wei people are good at foot riding, ordinary soldiers are not enough, and they need to do their best to ban the Beijing division from riding on foot." and another 50,000 sergeants, to 150,000. The minister can lead the troops to surround Shouchun inside, and block the reinforcements outside. ”

As he spoke, Liu Bei looked at Zhuge Liang and asked, "What does Kong Ming think?" ”

"If the officials are purged in the next year, if there are vulgar, dereliction of duty, and lazy politicians, they will be punished according to the law. Shangshutai sent a list of supplementary officials to the county, and the county guards selected officials to fill in the list. The next election of officials, regardless of their place of origin, only avoids the county and township party, friends, and clans. ”

Just as everyone was discussing with each other, Liu Bei entered the hall from outside.

"If you send an army to attack them today, the thieves will hold on, and they will not go out if they provoke their armies to fight; Around its longevity and spring, it must not be quickly overcome; and when they attack their Leh, they will not be able to pull out half of the wounded; plunder its suburbs, and you will find nothing. ”

Huo Jun has been in Jianghuai for many years, and the scouts have already explored the inside and outside of Shouchun City clearly. Shouchun City is too big, and it can accommodate more than 100,000 soldiers and civilians. There are two inner cities inside, and there are mountain cities on Bagong Mountain outside.

Once the bureaucracy is reduced, although favoritism and irregularities can be avoided, the officials and the big clans collude with each other. However, it is difficult for the local government to solve the long-standing difficulties in governance. And because the officials are not locals, it is very easy to exploit the locality, and they will not have scruples because of their hometown.

"In the past, our army won a great victory, Henan was empty, and thieves were afraid. However, at this time, Wei knew the weakness of Henan, cultivated the fields and cultivated the food quickly, moved the people south to harvest it, and Guangfa sergeants guarded the border, repaired ships, camped boats, and built sailors. And Shouchun is difficult and dangerous, and the city is big, with more than 100,000 people, and the grain is piled up like a mountain, curbing the throat of Jianghuai. ”

At present, his body is aging day by day, and he is suffering from many diseases. In order for his successor to benefit, Liu Bei needs to make a start.

Now Liu Bei asked him to lead the Northern Expedition alone, but Huo Jun was powerless. Fighting a war of annihilation requires a large number of troops, and there are not enough soldiers for him to fight.

Huo Jun pondered for a while and said: "The minister used to say that he wanted to use the strength of the country to fight against Wei. Now His Majesty has ordered his ministers to raise troops for the Northern Expedition, and the ministers are afraid that they cannot reach it. ”

Liu Bei used the Chu people to reduce the influence of the Wu people, and successfully installed the capital in Wuhan, so as to govern Wu and Chu.

Sitting on the couch, Liu Bei looked at Ma Liang and asked, "What are you discussing today?" ”

"It's all about Xinghan!"

Huo Jun held the teacup and said, "Your Majesty will lead the troops to fight when he goes out, and he will work hard when he enters." Your Majesty has been working hard for a long time, and it is advisable to take care of your body first, and the affairs of the ministers are small. ”

"The rest of the matter is the same as the old thing, you can first observe the reaction of the county guards, and then test the new officials, and then discuss the matter, or follow the old policy, or implement the new law. In this way, we can not only reassure the world, but also observe the difference between the old and new laws. ”

If a person from his hometown is a local official, he can be called a local official, and a foreign official can be called a liuguan.

Liu Bei frowned and was silent, with the number of 150,000 soldiers and horses, what was the difference between him and his Northern Expedition. And the central forbidden army is a heavy weapon of the Southern Han Dynasty, and now the soldiers and horses are exhausted, once the army is defeated or ......

Liu Bei frowned slightly and said: "The year before last, the war was at the beginning of the peace, the hidden household was not analyzed, and Shanyue was subordinate. Jun does not think about the power of the people, and it is said that I have hope to break the enemy. Now that the people are raising soldiers, the mountains will be shun from time to time, accumulating grain, and the hidden households are precipitated, why is it difficult to say? ”

Wang Cang's words pointed out the difficulty of implementation, and the reason why Liu Bei was able to prosper the Han Dynasty had a great relationship with the county magistrates. If the grassroots bureaucratic system is changed today, it is easy to cause turmoil in the hearts of the people.

"100,000 soldiers?" Liu Bei asked.

"Why?"

"And what does Your Majesty mean?"

If Huo Jun's suggestion can be thoroughly implemented, with the previous innovative election system, people with lofty ideals in the world will all yearn for Beijing.

Zhuge Liang hesitated for a long time, and said: "Consider the complexity of the government decree and the prosperity of the Han family. Liang thought that he could do what His Majesty said, imperceptibly, and gradually regain power. ”

Through these few things, it is not difficult for Liu Bei to see that Huo Jun's political talent, even if it is not as good as Zhuge Liang, is also the top level in the world. Its foresight is unmatched.

Although Ma Liang did not agree with the right to abolish the county, he still spoke out of a business-like attitude.

"Kong Ming's words are reasonable, and the politics of the present time should not be wasted. Moreover, I was riddled with diseases, and it was difficult for me to go on an expedition to China. Therefore, I thought deeply and wanted to order Zhong Miao to send troops to the Northern Expedition, I don't know if you think it is feasible? Liu Bei asked.

Liu Bei asked Huo Jun to serve tea left and right, and said with a smile: "At the end of the year, government affairs are cumbersome, and I am mostly burdened by cases. After some time, it will be easy for you and me to meet! ”

Sun Shao, as Shang Shuling, saw further, and the right to remove the county was appointed by Shang Shutai. In fact, the local officials were transferred to officials, and there was a high probability that the county scholars would not stay in the local area to become officials.

The taciturn Sun Shao said: "Although the villagers are appointed as township officials, although they are suspected of interconnecting the clan and the party, but people from foreign lands want to treat the local difficulties, and it is inconvenient. In today's situation, we should focus on the peace of the world, and rule the world as the secondary, in order to avoid frequent and vivid chaos, Huo Du's words, with Shao's opinion, should be done later. ”

"Good!"

Liu Bei smiled and said, "Jun not only has the ability to strategize, but also has the talent to govern the country and secure the people. In the future, if you have good words, you should play more and share your worries. ”

"No!"

"The minister led his troops to surround Shouchun for a long time, and the terrain was low-lying and prone to flooding. When the thief sent the whole country to the south, the ministers could not advance or retreat, and they were afraid of hurting the country. ”

Although Zhuge Liang can perceive the benefits of abolishing the county and guarding the right to eliminate it, Zhuge Liang does not dare to implement the political system that has not been implemented easily, for fear of ruining the politics of the Han Dynasty. Therefore, Zhuge Liang, who has always been cautious, chose a subtle policy.

"100,000 is really not possible?" Liu Bei asked rhetorically.

Of course, the trend is the trend, and its resistance is so great that it cannot be solved by one or two words.

The second thing is that Huo Jun proposed rice and wheat cultivation many times, and asked Sima Zhi to persuade the peasants to vigorously cultivate the fields, innovate the productive forces, greatly enrich the grain and grass reserves, and let the Southern Han Dynasty no longer worry about grain.

Listening to the ins and outs, Liu Bei stroked his beard, sighed slightly, and said: "Emperor Shizu thought that the reason why the place was chaotic was mostly because the military power belonged to Taishou. However, I have experienced troubled times, and to be honest, if the right to take over the county is to eliminate it, it will be like cutting off the way of the scholar to the local area, and most of the wise men and capable people will return to the Beijing Division. ”

One day, if the Han Dynasty can dominate the world. The Han were able to quickly pacify the people's livelihood, and instead of relying more on the local clans, the Chinese scholars needed to make sacrifices in order to integrate into the Han.

It must be known that during the Southern Dynasties, the battle between Jing and Yang was very fierce. As a strong lord, Sun Quan saw the problems that would be caused by Jing and Yang, so he moved to Wuchang and wanted to govern Wu Chu. With the prosperity of Jiangdong scholars, Sun Quan had no choice but to move back to Jianye, and let the prince rule Wuchang and manage Jing Chu affairs.

After Zhu Qing retired one after another, Liu Bei finally had time to talk to Huo Jun.

Although Liu Bei is not good at governance, as a monarch, he has a very high sensitivity, especially after experiencing troubled times, he has a deep feeling for some things.

Liu Bei nodded with satisfaction and said, "Ming Sui will focus on purging the rule of officials, and then select good officials to go to the county to see how effective the government decree is!" ”

"No!"

"Yes!"

Liu Bei understood the meaning of Huo Jun's words and asked, "If 50,000 soldiers can't succeed, if you give you 80,000 soldiers, can you succeed?" ”

"It's hard to do!"

In Liu Bei's eyes, Huo Jun really has the ability to enter the general, not a simple martial arts general. In particular, Huo Jun's several suggestions solved a lot of trouble for him.

"Today, 100,000 soldiers and horses have been dispatched, and there are no less than hundreds of thousands of households who have been labored. If you don't give up, or if you are defeated, your reputation will still be light; The people were tired and sick, and the soldiers were not killed or wounded in battle, which was secondary; It is important to humiliate the hope of His Majesty's sainthood and hurt the prestige of the Han family. ”

Huo Jun smiled bitterly and said: "Shouchun, the minister thinks about it day and night. But it's really hard to break through today. Since Your Majesty is willing to send 100,000, why not send troops from all over the country to see if you can break through Shouchun. ”

Hearing the above words, Huo Jun fell silent. The reason why he proposed to take over the county and set up the right was mostly for the sake of the Han Dynasty. But I didn't expect that as soon as it was proposed, it was opposed by many people.

Ma Liang arched his hand towards Liu Bei and said, "Huo Du thinks that it is better to take advantage of the purging of the county officials, collect the right to remove the county officials, and move the appointment of the county officials to Shangshutai. Zhu Qing thought it was impossible to ......"

"What you say is not unreasonable, now the world is the main thing, and then the world is the second. However, I think that security and governance may not be unusable, and the power to eliminate them cannot be taken away suddenly. ”

With Liu Bei's decision, everyone no longer bothered about the right to abolish the county and defend it, but chose to report the rest of the important matters.

Liu Bei took a sip of tea and asked, "Zhong Miao lives far away in Jianghuai and returns to China now, do you know why I recruited you into Beijing?" ”

Don't look at Liu Bang's seizure of Han Xin's military power, but in fact, every time Liu Bang seized Han Xin's soldiers and horses, he transferred a batch of other troops to Han Xin to prevent Han Xin from having descendant troops. For example, when Han Xin attacked Hedong, Liu Bang gave 30,000 people.

The third thing is that Huo Jun put forward the policy of strengthening the cadres and weakening the branches, and selected the elite generals to serve as the center, which greatly enhanced the authority of Wuhan.

"It can't be done!" Huo Jun vetoed.

Of course, Sun Shao pointed out the current situation, the Southern Han Dynasty is currently the main one to calm the world, and the world is ruled later, and there should be no major changes at the moment, so as not to cause more chaos.

Needless to say, the reform of the system of electing officials, and the abolition of state and county magistrates. Either the system that the Southern Han Dynasty is implementing or the system that is about to be implemented.

Therefore, Huo Jun sought to send out the whole country's troops to carry out a long-term battle around Shouchun, seeking to annihilate the main force of the Wei army, so as to conquer Shouchun through siege or other methods.

"Your Majesty!"

Liu Bei said truthfully: "I want to raise troops for the Northern Expedition, but Kong Ming and Zhu Qing think that now that the government decree has been passed at the beginning of the year, and the people are gradually calming, it is not appropriate to make a big move, so as not to waste all the previous achievements." ”

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the county guard was the ruler of the county, and all the subordinates appointed the scholars of the county. The only exception is the Sanfu region, where Jingzhao people can be used to support the wind. If you want to use people from other counties, you even have to report to your superiors.

"Although the township officials have maladministration, there is no maladministration of the rogue officials." Ma Liang frowned and said.

The first thing is that when he became the ruler of Jing Chu, Huo Jun suggested that Wuhan be relocated to avoid heavy Chu and light Wu, and Jing and Yang Prefectures from getting out of control.

Although Liu Bei recognized Zhuge Liang's words, he gave up the idea of a large-scale northern expedition. But it doesn't mean that Liu Bei doesn't want to send troops to the Northern Expedition, he also wants to hear Huo Jun's opinion. After all, the last time he toured Jianghuai, Huo Jun had proposed to him to fight a decisive battle with Cao Wei in Jianghuai.

"In the battle of Handan, the king of Qin wanted to cut down but Bai Qi was unwilling to fight, not because he was afraid of the enemy, but because of the situation, this Shouchun may not be inferior to the ancient Handan."

"Your Majesty summoned the ministers, could it be for the Northern Expedition?" Huo Jun asked.

Listening to Huo Jun's words, Liu Bei was no longer reluctant, and said comfortingly: "I am not the king of Qin, and the king is not in vain." Just ask the king's will, if it doesn't work, you can wait for the government to pass through and then use troops. ”

"Your Majesty is wise!"

(End of chapter)