Father Han Gaozu

Chapter 311 Zhang Shizhi

Liu Chang's method of agitation is still not outdated, and after a few words, the scholars cheered up.

They were even a little worried that they would fail the exam. If they didn't pass the exam, would they be thought by others that they didn't want to go to Hexi, so they gave wrong answers on purpose?
Seeing these students hurried back to continue their studies, Zhaoping couldn't help but laugh.

"Your Majesty's aggressive skills are really becoming more and more proficient, and you can do whatever you want."

"That's natural, the widow has said it a long time ago, and the widow is the ancestor!"

Liu Chang grinned, and then said seriously: "You have to tell these people that the group of people who are going to Hexi now will definitely be the pillars of the locality in the future, and they should pay more attention to their daily virtues during the assessment. If you only care about their talents and choose a few people like Chen Ping to go to places and fish the people, it will be a disaster."

"Your Majesty really doesn't miss any chance to slander Chen Hou."

Zhaoping stroked his beard and said with a smile.

"The widow is just an analogy!"

Liu Chang waved his hand indifferently, "Don't let anyone interfere in this matter. You can do it by yourself. If you feel that there are not enough people, you can tell the widow."

Zhao Ping hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I need to sit here, and I really need a few people. If you can send me a few people from the Shaofu."

"Okay, no problem, I will send you a few people from the Shaofu to help you, but this matter must be done well."

Liu Chang simply agreed to Zhaoping.

At present, Shaofu is Liu Chang's talent reserve, and people can be used at any time when needed. However, it is just that they can't take too many people at one time. If they take too many people, Chen Ping should be dissatisfied. It would be beneficial to have these young people work with Chen Hou.

At least, Chen Hou can make them truly feel the danger of this temple, and can cure them.

On the way back, Zhao Shi looked at the situation around him and said with emotion, "How many capable people are in the big man!"

"Oh? You finally feel it?"

"Yeah, the big Han is developing too fast. This Chang'an is like a day. Under the governance of a monarch like you, the big Han can still develop so quickly. It shows how powerful the capable ministers of the big Han are."

"The development of the big man is the credit of the widow!"

"Since the widow came to power, the government has been clear and clear, the development of various places has been rapid, the cultivated land has increased by ten times, the folk iron utensils have overflowed, the people have enough to eat, and the family has surplus food. , Mao Dun died, and it was the land of the fifteen counties of Dahan Guang. When my father was still there, the population in the world was only ten million. "

Liu Chang said proudly.

Zhao Mei was stunned for a moment and asked, "You're only in power for three or four years, right?"

"Yes!"

"Then how did you double your household registration in three or four years?"

"Cough, it's not important, the important thing is that now the merit of being a widow has already surpassed that of my father, the veritable emperor of the ages!"

What the king said is not all lies, he is right, that is, the increase in arable land is due to the reclamation strategy implemented by Xiao Cong at the beginning, the iron is because the royal mausoleum has many iron mines in Tang, and the officials are afraid because of embroidery. The wealthy family is because of Liu Jing, Han Xin smashed the Xiongnu, and Morton died of illness himself. On the east side of Liaodong, the Yan king expanded his territory, and the south was the Wu king. As for the population, it was because of Liu Ying's policy of encouraging fertility.
Speaking of which, it seems that the tax is also reduced, and the king himself did it to keep the people full.

However, other things cannot be separated from Liu Chang. After all, because Liu Chang is here, Yan and Wu dare to go to war, Han Xin can go to the Huns, Liu Jing's mausoleum can implement his own strategy, and the power of embroidering clothes can be like this. high.

When Liu Chang talked about his achievements, he was right and very excited.

After Liu Chang returned to the palace and waited for a long time, Liu Zhang finally returned.

According to Liu Chang's order, Liu Zhang brought the young Zhang Shizhi to the palace to meet the king.

The two entered the palace, and Liu Zhang hurriedly began to give orders.

"Faced with the king, those who have to be respectful must not contradict him."

"When he sees us, he will definitely ask a lot of things. You have to answer truthfully and try to say something nice."

"If he asks about the situation of the place, don't lie, but when he says that the place is prosperous, he must say that it is the king's credit."

"If the king asks about his merits, he must say that he is the king of Yao and Shun."

"If Your Majesty invites you to eat meat and drink, go for it, or Your Majesty will despise you."

Liu Zhang gave serious instructions, and Zhang Shizhi just nodded, "I see."

Liu Zhang likes this Zhang Shizhi very much. He thinks this person is very talented, but he also knows his character. This person is too bad, and he is afraid of angering the king. He also has the idea of ​​protecting Zhang Shizhi. Only then did he specifically explain these things, and when he walked to the door of the Hall of Houde, Liu Zhang stopped and said, "I value you very much. Whether you can take on a big responsibility in the future depends on this time."

Zhang Shizhi nodded, and the two reported to their valet.

When Zhang Shizhi followed Liu Zhang in to meet the king, he saw the rumored tyrant for the first time.

The king is tall, with broad shoulders, and looks very strong. When he sits in the upper position, he is about the same height as ordinary people, and he is full of oppression.

"Meet Father Zhong!"

Liu Zhang hurriedly paid his respects and dragged Zhang Shizhi who was beside him.

Zhang Shiyi, who was looking at the tyrant, was stunned, and quickly said to him, "Meet Father Zhong!"

"Um???"

"Meet the king!"

The young Zhang Shizhi was not yet a seasoned and capable official in history, and he still seemed a bit young and immature.Zhang Shizhi had great ambitions since he was a child. When he grew up, he wanted to realize his ambitions. At first, he wanted to go to war, but when he persuaded his family to join the army in Tang, a certain However, the king has already killed all of Dagu.

Zhang Shizhi was helpless, but fortunately, the king's sale of the title brought him new hope. After he obtained the title, he relied on the "priority admission principle" to enter an embroidery institution that no one else was willing to go to. .

The reason why Zhang Shizhi is so sophisticated in history is because he had been honed for ten years in obscurity, but today, although his ability has not reached the peak, his personality has already revealed the "bad" part.

Liu Chang looked at the young man in front of him and couldn't help laughing, "I heard your name several times, but I never thought about it, but you are about the same age as the widow."

"I ask you, how is the situation in the place?"

"The officials are fierce, the wealthy are arrogant, and the common people are not living well."

Liu Zhang suddenly closed his eyes.

"Oh? How is this different from what the widow heard?"

"In the past Qin State, the King of Qin liked officials who did things quickly, so the officials were all scrambling to act quickly and harshly. In the end, these officials lost the essence of compassion and sympathy. Because of this, the King of Qin could not hear his own words. Mistakes, the country weakened, and when Qin II came, the Qin state also perished."

"Nowadays, the king likes to listen to others to flatter himself, and all the ministers follow this behavior, vying to use their tongues, flattering, only talking about peace, not seeking practicality."

"The lower-ranking person is influenced by the upper-ranking person, and it is as fast as the response of the shadow's voice. The king should take this into account in everything he does!"

"The king of Zhao is good at wealth, the officials in the country are more stinky, the king of Wu is diligent and frugal, the wealthy people in Wu country are few, the king of Chu is good at Confucianism, there are scriptures along the road, the king of Yan is good in martial arts, and there are many rangers in the country."

"Nowadays, the king likes to be flattered by others. Don't all the officials in the world become traitors who flatter Shangguan and enjoy the flattery of their subordinates?"

Just when Liu Zhang thought that Father Zhong was going to be furious, Liu Chang suddenly burst out laughing.

He pointed to Zhang Shizhi in front of him and said with a smile:

"You are not bad!"

Immediately, the conversation changed, he shook his head and said:
"It's a pity, you only talk about empty words and have no real ability!"

Zhang Shizhi raised his head suddenly, he knew that his chance had finally come.

"Your Majesty, I have privately summed up the reasons for the fall of the Qin state and the rise of the Han Dynasty, and I will make a brief discussion, and I would like to show it to the king!"

Liu Chang felt that he was being tricked, and this fellow was obviously prepared.

The words just now were probably waiting for him to ask.

Looking at the Lun Shu in his hand, he glanced at Zhang Shizhi from time to time, and Liu Zhang had already understood what Zhang Shizhi was thinking.

This theory is quite well written. This fellow interprets the demise of Qin and the prosperity of the Han from eight aspects, and puts forward a lot of reform suggestions. He believes that the Han is adhering to the system of the Qin, so it also exists in the same state as the Qin. Therefore, it must be corrected. The writing is good, the views are unique, and the many decrees proposed are also worthwhile.

At this age, if he can come up with such a thing, if it is really written by him, it is already very remarkable.

Liu Chang squinted his eyes and asked, "You spent a lot of money to buy nobles before, and you couldn't wait to get into embroidery clothes. Now you are so eager in front of the widow? Are you not afraid that the widow will condemn you?"

Zhang Shizhi said confidently: "Although Your Majesty has minor faults, you have the knowledge of people, and you have a lot of talents. If you have this theory, your Majesty will not punish me for my sins."

"Hahaha, what you said is correct. If your essay was not well written, the widow would have sent you to the court officer long ago. For the sake of your ability, I will leave you."

"Thank you, King."

"Go and wait outside the hall!"

"only!"

Zhang Shizhi saluted and left. After he went out, Liu Zhang said, "Father Zhong, this person is so eager to express himself, I'm afraid he has a different intention."

"That's not necessarily true. People who really have dissent will not be so eager. They are just a young man who wants to make achievements and make a career as soon as possible."

Hearing Liu Chang's words, Liu Zhang just breathed a sigh of relief. This guy was recommended by him. If something happened, it would be too unfortunate. The Han Dynasty inherited the laws of Qin State, "the person who recommends is guilty", If there is a problem with the person recommended by a minister, the person who recommends is guilty, and if the person who recommends rebels, the person who recommends is also punished.For example, the famous Qin Prime Minister Fan Ju, even the two people recommended by him committed serious crimes. If it were not for the death of the King of Qin, he would have been imprisoned by the three tribes on the spot.

Therefore, the recommendation of a big man is not a random recommendation, but there must be enough interests, or if you can know the bottom line of this person and recommend it rashly, that is seeking death.

"Oh, I wanted you to rest for a while longer."

Liu Chang sighed deeply and said, "The widow doesn't even have time to pay respects to Big Brother."

Liu Zhang said seriously: "Your Majesty is busy with state affairs, and my father will understand."

"I'm going to pay homage to Big Brother. What about your brothers, how are they?"

"My eldest brother is very angry and is very harsh to us, thinking that we have robbed him of his city, and he has never even seen me once."

"The rest of the younger brothers are very happy. After the mourning period is over, they will come to thank Father Zhong in person."

"What about you? King Chengyang? What do you think?"

Liu Zhang lowered his head and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, this subject has no talent, and it is really scary to be able to hold the current title."

"I'm not asking you to thank you. I'm asking you, what do you think of this policy? Be honest!"

Liu Zhang hesitated for a moment, then said: "I thought it was very good at first, Zhou divided the princes, but in the end, it was the princes that destroyed Zhou. This policy will make the kingdom of the princes smaller and smaller, and the strength of the princes and kings will also be changed from generation to generation. If it weakens, it will no longer be able to threaten the temple in the future, and the great man will be able to live forever, and there will be no more worries of Zhou."

"On the local level, only the son-in-law thinks it's wrong. The rest of the sons are very happy and grateful to the king. When they are united, even the son-in-law can't change anything. I heard that several sons of the king of Chu, After hearing about this, they all told their mothers to persuade the King of Chu. The King of Chu loved a few young sons very much, and was always worried that they would be bullied after his death, so he planned to follow the example of Qi, and after his death, he would play Temple, please make the princes kings."

Liu Zhang did not hide his true thoughts, and told Liu Chang truthfully.

"okay."

"Zhang ah. There is no precedent for the great Han to hold official positions with princes and kings."

"You are the King of Chengyang now, and all the ministers have persuaded the widow to dismiss your post and let you go back to be the king of princes with peace of mind. But the more they say that, the more the widow wants you to go back and the ministers are so persistent, isn't it? Because they attach importance to the rules, because they are afraid of you and their fears, it proves that you have done a good job during this period!"

"Father Zhong. What about Chengyang Kingdom?"

"Just leave it to the Prime Minister!"

"only!"

"Okay, you can go back and rest, by the way, that Zhang Shizhi, the widow is going to stay by his side, be a servant, go and take him to do the resignation, rest for a few days, come back to the widow, bring him I want you to find my second brother for a meal together."

"it is good."

After Liu Zhang walked out of the Hall of Houde, his face was not as good-looking as before, and he became a little indifferent to Zhang Shizhi.

He didn't like people who were eager for quick success, Zhang Shizhi clearly felt Liu Zhang's dissatisfaction.

The two of them didn't speak all the way. When they walked outside the palace, Liu Zhang said, "Jun Zhang is going to be promoted. You can come to me tomorrow to exchange embroidered clothes and festival battles."

"I"

Zhang Shizhi wanted to say something, but Liu Zhang had already turned and left.

Zhang Shizhi reluctantly turned around and walked towards his home on foot. On the way, Zhang Shizhi was looking at the situation around him. People along the road were all terrified when they met him, and they all avoided him. Even the patrolling soldiers would turn around and leave in a hurry after seeing his outfit.

Zhang Shizhi walked on foot for a long time, and finally came to a place. Those familiar faces, when they occasionally met him, just smiled awkwardly, and hurried away, unwilling to talk to him more.

He knocked on the door, and soon, a retainer came out. Seeing Zhang Shizhi, the man was very surprised and shouted loudly.

A fat man who looked exactly like Zhang Shizhi, but with a chubby figure, walked out of the inner room with a smile. Every step he took, his whole body trembled.

"Hahaha, you are finally back!"

Zhang Zhong hugged Zhang Shizhi fiercely, and Zhang Shizhi was almost out of breath.

"Brother, you are going to strangle me!"

Zhang Zhong smiled and dragged his brother into the house, Zhang Shizhi met his sister-in-law, looked at Youzi, and then sat down to eat with his brother.

"How's it going? How long will you be back this time?"

"Big brother. The king wants to reuse me, so I can stay in Chang'an."

"Okay! That's great!"

"Big brother. Over the years, I have spent too much of your money."

"Where are you and my brother, do you still care about this?"

"You can display your ambitions, I'm here for everything at home!"

Zhang Shizhi's face became serious, "There are so many injustices in this world, only by ascending to a high position can we punish evil and promote goodness, and bring justice to the world! No one will experience the things that my father and mother have experienced. Oh, brother, I will definitely be a good official and serve the world!"

"I know you will be a good official."

"However.. I prefer you to live a stable life. Your character is too tough, so I'm afraid of you"

"Brother, if everyone just wants to save their lives, then who will take care of the world?"

"One day, I will become the third prince to punish all evil."

Zhang Zhong looked at the younger brother in front of him who was talking about his big ambitions. He didn't speak, but just listened quietly, and from time to time he took a few pieces of meat and handed them to his bowl.

"Your name is Chao Cuo?"

King Wu looked curiously at the young man in front of him and looked him up and down.

Chao Cuo was still a little sloppy, raised his head and said, "Exactly! I was ordered to assist you in governing Wu!"

Seeing him like this, Fu Kuan was furious and was about to speak, but Liu Heng shook his head at him.

Liu Heng looked at the guy in front of him with interest, and asked with a smile, "It seems that you think the current state of Wu is not well governed?"

"The State of Wu has a lot to do. In terms of policy, there is still room for improvement."

Chao Cuo immediately began to talk about his own thoughts, eloquently. He had carefully prepared this set of rhetoric for half a year, just to give King Wu a surprise and let him know his talent.

When Chao Cuo finished speaking, he looked at Liu Heng proudly, waiting for his evaluation.

Liu Heng frowned and thought for a long time.

"The eloquence is good, and I can go to the southern countries to be a lobbyist."

"Speaker??"

"What I'm talking about is a big strategy to govern the world! How can you be a lobbyist?"

Liu Heng nodded.

"If you don't want to, then go to Taipu to raise horses."

He waved his hand, and a soldier dragged the shouting Chao Cuo away, and Fu Kuan couldn't help laughing, "Your Majesty, this person was sent by the King of Tang. Is it okay to treat him like this?"

"The eldest brother asked me to properly discipline this person. This son has high eyes and low skills. He is arrogant and arrogant. If there is no cure, he will not be able to make great achievements."

(End of this chapter)