Father Han Gaozu

Chapter 422 Rat and Tiger
When the officials of the state minister came to Tingwei's mansion, Xuan Moru, the second-in-command of Tingwei, came out to greet him in person.

The usual disputes in the temple can easily make people ignore the strength of these bigwigs in the temple.

Not to mention Zhou Chang, Zhang Budo was at this level, even a soldier who was randomly found at the gate of the palace, was an existence beyond the reach of ordinary people.If Lu Lu went to a place, he would not have the bonus of being a relative of the state, so the local officials would have to lower their stance and greet him. .

Who is the sheriff?The head of a county controls the fate of hundreds of thousands, or even millions of people.

And this kind of county governor is not enough to see in front of San Gong, so he can only kneel and worship and call himself a minister.

Although there is no such thing as a rank in front of the prime minister's gate, Zhou Changzhang does not doubt that the subordinate officials they send can accomplish a lot of things in Chang'an. He is strong because he doesn't take the third prince in his eyes and dares to disrespect the third prince.

Zhou Chang and Zhang Budo possessed great power. From the feudal history after Qin and Han dynasties, the monarchy and the prime minister fought for a long time. Even Emperor Gao thought of dividing the prime minister into two, just to curb the prime minister. .

The prime ministers can handle national affairs and hold court meetings by themselves. They even have a mature and complete system of subordinate officials, similar to Liu Chang's inner court. They have their own luxurious political team. Officials, if they reach the Jiuqing level or the county guard level officials, then they can also deal with them after they play to your majesty.

Of course, whether the prime minister is powerful or not depends on who the emperor is.

If it is an emperor like Ying Zheng, Liu Bang, Liu Heng, and Liu Che, then the prime minister will be suppressed to a very low level, and he will be abolished and killed at will. There will be a situation in which the power of the relative and the power of the monarchy, and even the power of the monarchy will be suppressed.

Today, this emperor is really not a "virtuous monarch", but the relative power is still suppressed very low, and he is almost only responsible for handling affairs.

To be suppressed is to be suppressed, but there is still the status and power that one should have.

Xuan Moru asked the official to sit down with a smile and asked the minister's orders.

The subordinate officials did not dare to be rude to this man, and humbly spoke of his intentions, "The prime minister has heard that in this Tingwei prison, there is a Chu person, named Sima Jizhu, who is very knowledgeable, I don't know if it is Why are you imprisoned in Tingwei for some reason?"

Xuan Moru suddenly smiled bitterly, "I didn't expect that this incident would even startle you."

"That's right, this person didn't have any crimes at first. He was implicated in Wu Zui's affairs, so he was detained and interrogated in Hearing. The result of the interrogation was that he had nothing to do with Wu Zui and could be released. "

"Just because of Wu Sui's business, His Majesty has ordered that no one is allowed to act as a diviner under the guise of ghosts and gods. All diviners are required to cultivate the land and do business, and if there is another fortune-telling deceit, they will be punished with a shield."

"This guy could have gone out, but he had to give other prisoners a fortune-telling in Tingwei's prison and was told to Tingwei by the armored soldiers."

"Ting Wei punished him with a shield, but he was poor, and his disciples were not allowed to pay, so he had to be detained."

"This person does not repent, and keeps telling other prisoners. So far, he has already been fined 26 guilders."

"Because he did not repent and provoked Tingwei repeatedly, he was sentenced to one year in prison."

The subordinate official was stunned, "There are still people like this in the world?"

Xuan Moru also smiled bitterly, "It's also Zhang Tingwei who enforces the law fairly and doesn't want to be punished severely because he was offended. Everything is in accordance with the law. If my grandfather was still there, he would have been pushed out long ago. The person who was beheaded was stubborn, because he was old, and Tingwei was unwilling to torture him, so Tingwei sent people to preach and ask him to change his mind, and all the officials sent in were persuaded by him and became his disciples."

"This this."

The official's eyes widened, "Zhou Xiang knows this person, and he is still thinking about whether to pardon him. It seems that there is no way to do it."

Xuan Moru was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly grabbed the hand of the subordinate official, "Please think of a way to Zhou Xiang! I have never seen such a stubborn prisoner! If this person is locked up in the Tingwei for a while longer, the inside After the sinner comes out, he can be calculated by others. He spends all day in the prison studying the Book of Changes, and he can study it himself. He has to tell others that we don’t dare to let him live with others now. In a separate cell, Duke Liu was temporarily locked with him before."

Xuan Moru said, and asked again, "Would you like to take you to see him?"

The official immediately panicked and shook his head hastily, "Forget it, forget it, I can tell Zhou Xiang about these things!"

After the subordinate officials returned, they told Zhou Chang these things truthfully.

Zhou Chang couldn't help but widen his eyes.

He had heard of this person, but he didn't know him well. To be Cao Can's friend, he would not be a mediocre person. Now, it seems that this person is not only good at learning, but also good at debating. what.

"Zhou Xiang, do you still want to save this person?"

Zhou Chang chuckled lightly, "If that's the case, it would be easier to save him. You can tell Lu Lu about this and let him inform His Majesty."

The subordinate officials did not understand, "Do you want your majesty to forgive him?"

"No, just let Your Majesty know that there is such a thing. Your Majesty is most afraid of trouble. If you ask him to forgive others, I am afraid that he will not pay attention to it, but if you know this kind of anecdote, Your Majesty will definitely be curious, and will definitely make this happen. The person asked to come and see, if this person has real talent and real learning, His Majesty will not let him go to prison. If it is fake, then continue to stay in prison and His Majesty has the ability to know people. We don’t need to pay attention to the rest. ."

Zhou Chang waved his hand and let the subordinate officials leave.

He still has a lot of things in his hands, and he really can't get away. If it wasn't for Cao Can's sake, he wouldn't be willing to pay attention to this matter.

"Father Zhong!"

Liu Chang smiled all over his face, and asked to bring some mutton and put it in front of Chen Ping.

Chen Ping looked blankly at the diligent emperor in front of him, and couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

"What is your majesty's order, it's okay to say it directly."

Courtesy to people, there must be something to ask for.

These words have almost been implemented in Liu Chang's life. Chen Ping knew that if this Shuzi hadn't asked for himself, he would never have entertained him like this.

After Liu Chang's thoughts were broken, he didn't feel embarrassed at all, he just said with a smile: "As expected of Father Zhong, I can see at a glance that I have something on my mind!"

"Father Zhong, this is what happened, Wei Shang, the governor of Shuofang County, you know this person."

"This man rules the army strictly and cares about his subordinates. The military silk tax is used to reward the officers and soldiers of his subordinates. He also uses his salary to kill cattle and sheep. He entertains his subordinates once every five days. He can draw from left to right and has excellent martial arts skills. Among the frontier armies in various places, except for Zhou Bo, his army has the highest combat power and the most wins.

Chen Ping nodded.

Liu Chang added: "But the military exploits reported by this man earlier have been verified and found to be missing six heads. This is an act of lying about military exploits. I removed him from his title and office, and put him in a prison cart and brought him back to Chang'an for disposal."

"But I tell my heart, currently guarding the frontier, training the army, and going out to fight, no one can replace him. I don't want to deal with him, but I am afraid that if he does not punish him, it will cause others to follow suit. It's not clear, and I can't manage the big man well, so I feel upset and want to ask Father Zhong, how to solve this matter?"

Chen Ping chuckled, "Your Majesty wants to punish him severely, but also wants him to continue guarding the frontier?"

"Is such that."

"If you deal with him rashly, you're worried that it will chill the heart of Shuo Fang's frontier army. It's really hard to do. This mistake he made is small, and big is big."

Chen Ping shook his head, "Your Majesty, this matter is not trivial, the main thing is not how many heads he has reported, but the meaning of what he did. The soldiers of the big man mainly focus on military merit. In any case, You can't easily let him go, even if he reports one more head, he must be punished, this is the reason for governing the country."

Liu Chang suddenly hesitated.

Chen Ping said with a smile: "Isn't Your Majesty going to form a pedestrian army and conduct training and teaching?"

"Isn't this Wei Shang the most suitable commander?"

"Since the pedestrian army is going to various places, naturally it cannot be practiced in Chang'an that His Majesty can remove him from the title, let the original county chief serve as the county governor, send the pedestrian army to Shuofang, and take Wei Shang as the pedestrian captain, let him in To train the army there and take them out, only with more practical training can it play a greater role in the future. When he completes the training of the pedestrian army, then His Majesty will let him continue to serve as the county governor with his credit. Rewards and punishments are clear.”

"As for the words of the ministers, as long as your Majesty ignores it three times, no one will come to persuade him again."

Chen Ping said indifferently, and then said slowly: "Your Majesty wants to form a pedestrian army, you must let them understand the language and customs of various countries. There are many things that can’t be practiced in Chang’an, maybe going to the desert outside the Great Wall can let them practice.”

"Wei Shang changed from a general to a school captain. Losing his title is considered a heavy punishment, and he himself remains in Shuofang. If something happens, he can take over at any time."

"Hahaha~~~"

Liu Changda laughed, and then he said helplessly: "Why do all the talents in this world belong to my grandfather?"

"Your Majesty, wood is straight, and gold is hard. There are so many talents in the world, the key lies in the king. As a king, you can know who to put in what position, and who can be appointed or removed. , know how to make wood be roped and gold to be sharpened. In this way, there will be no shortage of wise ministers around a wise king."

"Well said! Come, come, Father Zhong, eat some more meat!"

The two were eating meat. Liu Chang started gossiping about Chen Mai, and Lu Lu couldn't help but talk. Lu Lu suddenly remembered what he heard today, and told it as an anecdote. two people in front of you.

Liu Chang was very curious, but Chen Ping didn't react.

Chen Ping has no fixed interest in these divinations.

"Hahaha, this person is also interesting, Lu, you go to Tingwei now, bring this person over, let me see! I want to see, how is this person's eloquence?!"

Lu Lu hurried out.

Chen Ping got up to resign, but Chang Liu stopped him, "Father Zhong, this banquet is not over yet, why are you so eager to leave? We haven't seen you for a long time, we should sit for a while."

"I don't like alchemists."

"Hahaha, I don't like it either. Later, I'll have to deal with this person severely!"

The two chatted, and it didn't take long before Sima Jizhu was brought in front of the two.

Liu Chang looked at this person seriously. This person is not young, but he looks very temperamental, and his appearance can scare people. Even if he has been locked in Tingwei for so long, this person still looks so comfortable, there is no trace of it. Feeling embarrassed, Liu Chang asked displeasedly, "Are you Sima Jizhu?"

"That's right."

"I heard that you are good at divination. Can you figure out who this person is next to me?"

Sima Jizhu looked at the minister on the side, and said with a smile, "Meet the Marquis Qu Ni!"

Liu Chang was taken aback, "Have you seen it? No, how did you know??"

Sima Jizhu said with a smile, "I heard that Marquis Qu Ni is tall, well-mannered, unsmiling, and a man."

"And an old minister who can sit on His Majesty's right and receive His Majesty's personal reward, with these characteristics, who else can it be except Marquis Qu Ni?"

Liu Changda laughed, "You are honest, you have such ability, why do you want to do such a despicable act?"

"Why does Your Majesty say it is a despicable act?"

"You fortune-tellers like to exaggerate grotesque remarks to suit people's wishes, hypocritically raise other people's fortunes to please people. Talk about disasters to make people sad, and use ghosts and gods to deceive people. How can people’s behaviors like asking for their wealth and asking for their gratitude to be self-sufficient are not despicable?!”

Lord Sima Ji shook his head and said seriously: "It is people who are despicable, how can they be divided by the things they do?"

"The sages that your majesty thinks are probably those who assist you. There are some such sages, and I know the deeds of these people!"

"They use power to attract each other, induce each other with interests, enjoy public salaries, engage in private interests, bend the decrees of the Lord, fish and hunt the poor peasants, use official positions as power, and use decrees as tools to change what they don't have. To be successful, to turn less into more, to eat and drink, to be sensual, to come everywhere, to leave relatives aside, to do things that violate the law and harm the people, and waste the wealth of the public.”

"Isn't the behavior of such a sage more despicable than that of a soothsayer?"

"Although the minister had fortune-telling, he never hurt anyone, did not ask for high remuneration, saw their predicament, showed them the way, solved their confusion, healed the sick, soothed their spirits, and came up with ideas for them to improve their lives. Isn't this kind of behavior more worthy than those sages?"

Liu Chang was stunned for a moment, then looked at Chen Ping beside him.

Chen Ping's face was still very calm, he slowly got up, and resigned to Chang Liu again.

Liu Chang didn't stop him this time. Just when Chen Ping was about to leave, Sima Jizhu stopped in front of him again and asked with a smile, "Doesn't Marquis Qu Ni agree with my words?"

Chen Ping stopped and stared straight at him.

"A mouse curled up in an alley like you screams [-] times in the sky. How can it compare to the snoring sound of a tiger when you don't notice it? Get back!!!"

Chen Ping scolded, and Sima Jizhu could not help but let the way. Chen Ping ignored him and walked straight past him.

Looking at Chen Ping walking out, Sima Jizhu, who was a little surprised in his eyes, Liu Chang patted his thigh in annoyance.

He felt more and more that compared to these old monsters when the country was founded, his subordinates were simply a bunch of Ruyi, nothing! !
Liu Chang immediately looked at Master Sima Ji again, this guy's eloquence is still good, what if he was asked to debate with Bo Fu Qiu? ?
When Chen Ping walked out of the gate of the palace, he happened to see a few noisy Shuzi.

These scorpions were quiet the moment they saw Chen Ping.

Liu An greeted me very politely.

Chen Ping returned the salute and left.

Until he left, Liu Xiangfang couldn't help but say: "Qu Nihou's eyes are really scary. I think it's even scarier than Zhou Bo, and it makes people feel cold behind their backs."

Liu Qi said with emotion: "This is a real man!"

After talking about Chen Ping, they returned to their own topic.

Liu Xiang scolded: "This Uncle Fu Qiu is not a good thing, he is going to save those barbarians?? Why is this to barbarians? We need to spend our energy to save them?? Let the soldiers love these people, he It's really crazy!!"

Liu Qi shook his head, "Actually, this is to reduce resistance. If the army can not kill prisoners, then the enemy will rush to surrender. If we do not harm the people, the enemy's people will come to support us. These are all tactics. When the eldest father entered Guanzhong and did not harm the people, he quickly gained their support, but Xiang Yu slaughtered everywhere and was finally defeated by the eldest father.”

"But those are all barbarians! What kind of education is there for barbarians!"

Liu Xiang cursed, but couldn't help but look at Liu An, "An, you are the most learned, why don't you speak?"

Liu An looked at them with complicated eyes and hesitated.

"Do you know that Huang Lao and the Mo family are both anti-war?"

"What do you mean?"

"What did Uncle Fuqiu say about education, benevolence, and love for the enemy?"

"Ah this."

"It's on the basis of the attack. Is Uncle Fuqiu's purpose to love the enemy? That's just a rhetoric. His purpose is to find a reason for attacking the surrounding barbarians. What kind of education, isn't it to turn them into big men? The common people, occupy their land and become the county of my great Han? Why do you care for the common people, destroy the enemy's country, and turn their people into your own, don't you have to love them? Let the soldiers understand this truth? , that is not to ease the resistance of opposition, for a better occupation"

"Huang Lao and Mo's family are against Bo Fu Qiu, what they are against is that they want to be a soldier of benevolence and righteousness, and what they are against is the word for "war"! Send troops to attack them for no reason, but Fu Qiu Bo is the main war faction, isn't his benevolence, righteousness and morality all based on defeating the enemy?"

"You don't even understand this, you don't even understand who wants to advocate, who wants to talk about benevolence and righteousness, and you still talk about it here."

"What do you think I can argue with you?"

Liu Xiang was stunned, "You let me slowly say that Huang Lao is the one who wants to be benevolent to the barbarians? And Bo Fuqiu is the one who advocates attacking the barbarians??"

"Nonsense. Uncle Fu Qiu only said that he should be kind to the enemy's people and help them manage the place well. What do you think our soldiers can meet the enemy's people under the circumstances?? Can they govern other people's countries??"

Liu An shook his head, "It's really ridiculous, a moral gentleman who advocates actively attacking the barbarians and fundamentally eliminating the barbarians is considered a pedantic moral gentleman."

"A person who opposes sending troops and wants to live in harmony is considered to be the main war faction."

"This Uncle Fu Qiu is also very powerful. With his words, he can actually scare so many people."

Liu Xiang seemed to understand something, and his face was full of shock.

"That Duke Fuqiu is a saint!!"

ps: The consequence of clenching my teeth yesterday is that today I grimaced and groaned, rubbing my hands and groaning. Today, I really can’t do two more changes. If I write again, my hands will really be useless. I can only go after the quarantine is over. Find a Chinese doctor and press it. From the closure of the city on the [-]th to the present, my hair and beard have grown, and I am almost a savage.

(End of this chapter)