Father Han Gaozu

Chapter 707
Pei County is also the most special one among the many counties in the Han Dynasty.

In the past, this place once belonged to the state of Chu, and it had not yet established a county. After the death of King Chu Yuan, it was taken back to the temple, and the original Sishui County was changed to Pei County, which became the county of the temple. After the temple was taken back In the days since then, eight sheriffs have changed here successively.

And basically every county guard who works here has no good end, either because of impeachment, he lost his official title, or he was directly sentenced to death.

Among the eight county guards, only one started well and ended well.

A carriage was slowly coming from the brand new road that Pei County had just built. Chao Cuo sat in the carriage with a blank expression on his face, watching the situation on the side of the road calmly.

"Why are there so many rangers here?"

Chao Cuo frowned more and more as he looked at the crowd walking by from a distance.

Since entering Pei County, I have seen more rangers along the way than all the previous ones combined.

Sitting next to him was another county magistrate who came back to report.

The county magistrate is the magistrate of Mang County. He returned to Chang'an to return to Chang'an because there was a death sentence in the county. The big man still attaches great importance to murder. Once there is a case that needs to be executed, he has to ask Chang'an for instructions. , the place does not have the power to kill people wantonly. When the county magistrate was going back, he was forcibly pulled to his side by Chao Cuo, saying that he was going back together. In fact, he was asking him to introduce the local situation here. After all, the two counties belong to the same county.

The county magistrate, surnamed Ma, is honest and responsible. He is nearly fifty years old and cautious. He has never committed any mistakes. Now riding in the same car with someone like Chao Cuo is simply a great torture.

He replied: "Mr. Chao, there are still very few rangers nowadays. You don't know about it. After the establishment of Pei County, it really is... Alas, just talk about the few counties here. I don't need to talk about you. I also know that apart from Fengxian County, there are also countries such as Binghou, Jingqiu, and Jianchenghou. The children here are equipped with long swords, play around, and ride horses and carts. Who dare you control?? It’s okay now, In the past, when I was a sheriff here, it was really difficult to manage this place. We have changed eight sheriffs, and six of them went back in a prison car. Not including this one, there is only one person It’s safe to leave here.”

"These people are not easy to offend and difficult to deal with, and besides the children of these big families, there is also the fact that they can often get favors here, and they are rewarded and pardoned every year, especially the country of Jiancheng. The current Jianchenghou is a great man. The big man in the country, the development of Hou Guo at his own expense, the whole county is developing rapidly, the population is increasing, but the arable land is not enough, and the number of Yu Ding is increasing. They have no arable land, what can they do? They have to follow those big clans My son, I started acting like a knight-errant."

County Magistrate Ma spoke seriously, and then said with emotion: "It's my Mang County. It's also Manghou Country. I dare not provoke any of the children with the surname surname in it."

"There is no one in the whole county who can be provoked."

Chao Cuo snorted coldly, "So what if you provoke me? What else can they do to you? You are guarding the place for the emperor, do they still dare to harm you?!"

The county magistrate glanced at Chao Cuo, and said timidly, "It's the incompetent officials."

Chao Cuo said confidently: "These rangers are too many, they need to be dealt with! There is also the current sheriff! When I get to the county, I will ask him to come and listen to my report!"

"only"

Although he is only a county magistrate now, Chao Cuo's arrogance is still the same as before. This county magistrate with a small population dare not say anything more. After entering Pei County, most of the officials Chao Cuo encountered were like this. I am very afraid of him, and the courtesy is extraordinary, but there is no such thing as "a tiger falling into Pingyang and being bullied by a dog". Not to mention that Chao Cuo was demoted as a county magistrate, even if he was demoted as a pavilion chief, these people dare not be rude. Therefore, the officials are all over the temple, and they are still the emperor's servants. It can be said that they are simple in the emperor's heart.

Those who can achieve this position are basically not stupid, and they will not have any conflicts with Chao Cuo because of his rude behavior.

And they also have their own ideas in mind.

This is probably the most authoritative county magistrate in the entire Han Dynasty. Whether the local sheriff dares to order him is a question.

"I know that Duke Chao is a capable minister, but please forgive me for reminding you that this place is different from Chang'an. The nobles here are very difficult to deal with, and so are the county guards."

Chao Cuo didn't take it seriously, could the little mice in the local area be more terrifying than those in the temple?

"Who is the sheriff here?"

"Although the sheriff here is young, he does things unscrupulously. He doesn't pay attention to those big families and beats and insults at will. The officials are also very afraid of him. He can probably leave this position safely. You see, he coming."

The county magistrate was speaking when he suddenly saw the cavalry in the distance and shut his mouth hastily.

Chao Cuo stopped the car and looked into the distance.

A group of knights quickly rushed in front of them. The leader jumped off his horse and walked in front of Chao Cuo. This person is indeed young, only in his early thirties. Looking rudely at Chao Cuo in front of him, "I returned yesterday, Mr. Chao will be here today. If we had known earlier that you were coming to my place, we could have come back together."

Of course Chao Cuo knew the young man in front of him, the two had met before in Chang'an.

"It turned out to be Liu Jun. Why, Zhang Xiang didn't transfer you away?"

"Zhang Xiang probably also thought that I did a good job, so he didn't transfer me away."

The sheriff ordered someone to bring a horse to Chao Cuo, and the two rode on the horse and walked on the road together.

The young Sheriff Liu was also very confident, "This is a good place, with fertile land, sufficient manpower, and a pool of talented people. I am considered young among the many sheriffs in the Han Dynasty, and the reason why I became a sheriff at this age , because I have my own guts, I will not forgive the tyrants who oppress the people, and I am not like the original scum, who turned a blind eye to the children of the wealthy family, and I will catch one!"

"Nevertheless, although I have such courage, my subordinates are all cowardly people!"

As he spoke, he suddenly turned his head and glanced at County Magistrate Ma who was following behind him.

The county magistrate immediately lowered his head.

The county guard smiled and said to Chao Cuo: "Now that you are here, I don't worry anymore. I have heard a lot about Mr. Chao's character, and I have personally experienced that he is beating the princes and punishing the county guard at the same time. This time, help me manage Pei County well."

Chao Cuo sneered, and he said: "Of course the governor Liu is courageous. Your father is the cousin of Emperor Gao, and your biological mother is the daughter of the eldest sister of the Empress Dowager. If you are not courageous here, the big man is afraid." is going to die."

This sheriff is Liu Jia, who was born in the clan.

Of course, this Liu Jia was able to become the sheriff of the Dahan County, and he arrested people unscrupulously in such a county because of his own talent and courage. It has nothing to do with his father named Liu and mother named Lu , at least he thinks so.

"As for the situation in this place, since I have obeyed His Majesty's order, I will definitely manage it with all my strength. It has nothing to do with what kind of person the sheriff is. I just hope that when I am doing things, the sheriff will not lose his courage. Don't renege on your word and get fat."

Liu Jia narrowed his eyes, "As long as you dare to bring the criminal and the evidence to me, no matter who he is, I will support you!"

Chao Cuo didn't speak, he glanced at him, then at the county magistrate.

"The sheriff will send it here, I will go back by myself, and everything will be settled!"

He didn't wait for the sheriff's reply, and led his people to leave here quickly.

Liu Jia stroked his chin, looked at Chao Cuo who was going away, and asked suspiciously, "Did he see it?"

County Magistrate Ma replied with a wry smile: "Probably he can see it. But we didn't lie to him. The situation in this place is extremely complicated, and everyone is difficult to deal with. Even you are like a tiger bound , he can’t be shot at will, but he is the best candidate.”

"That's right, even if this guy sees it, he will deal with those wealthy families according to my ideas."

Liu Jia was a little displeased, "It's not easy to govern the country, but this guy has placed so many restrictions on us, making us tied up, heh, let's see what he does next, let him try it too The difficulty of being a magistrate. Don't embarrass him, help him with all your strength, he promises him everything, let him help us deal with those wealthy families wholeheartedly, if Chao Cuo wins, then the place will be governed well, if If the Hao Clan wins, then Chao Cuo should know how big a mistake he made in restricting us!!"

"Yeah, just now he reprimanded me, saying that I was too cowardly to dare to take action against the rich. He didn't know how complicated the local situation could be. I think that if he still has this personality, he will be at a disadvantage when he goes to the county. It's him."

In Houde Hall, Lu Lu was standing at the door, looking around vigilantly.

Suddenly, a person appeared in the distance, walking towards the Hall of Houde in a hurry, Lu Lu's expression changed drastically, he poked his head into the hall hastily, and shouted: "The imperial censor is here!"

Immediately, Liu Chang in the hall was in a hurry, and hurriedly stuffed the meat on the table into his mouth, and hid it before it was too late.

He wiped off the oil stains on the corners of his mouth with his sleeve, and then sat in front of the case with a serious face.

When Liu Heng walked into the hall, Liu Chang was looking at the massive memorials in front of him, with a pensive look on his face.

Liu Heng slowly sat beside Liu Chang without disturbing him. Liu Chang read a memorial thoughtfully, and just turned aside, "Fourth brother, what you said makes a lot of sense."

"Um???"

"This memorial makes a lot of sense."

"What Liu Jing said is indeed very reasonable. The agricultural tax exemption depends on the amount of arable land. For families with more than [-] mu of arable land, the tax exemption will not be granted. Liu Jing is doing this to prevent tycoons from making profits through tax exemptions."

Liu Heng also nodded, "Actually, Liu Jing thought a lot about it. He wanted to collect a large amount of tax from families whose property exceeds a certain scale, convert their property, and collect tax based on all the property. But I refused. , that's why he presented this memorial again, which is his concession."

Liu Chang knew about this, "Is the fourth brother afraid that such behavior will affect business?"

"Mr. Liu is extremely hostile to merchants. He believes that merchants are one of the root causes of the world's troubles. We need to liquidate merchants' properties and let them pay in proportion. However, I have exempted the agricultural tax, not to discourage commerce, but to stimulate commerce so that Only when the people have money can the market be active and commerce can be further developed. I oppose those tyrants who occupy a large amount of cultivated land and turn the people into tenants, but I have never thought about eradicating these merchants and handicraftsmen. The blow to the handicraft industry is too great, even if I don't show up, Shihuofu will not agree."

Liu Chang grinned, "When I ordered the common people to open restaurants selfishly, he protested against them. He believed that all restaurants should be opened by temples and cannot be handed over to the common people. "

Liu Heng also didn't criticize Liu Jing directly, "Grand Liu probably has his own ideas, but, long, after the agricultural tax is exempted, the commercial tax is a very important source of income. It is beneficial for a big man to have a prosperous business. , is indispensable. On the premise of sufficient grain production, commerce can better drive the development of Dahan. Don't do things that are exhausted. Follow Liu Jing's practice to collect calculations, and you can harvest within a certain period of time. Plenty of money, but irreversible blows to commerce and crafts."

"Fourth brother, I understand that agriculture needs to be protected, and business needs to be protected too. Tyrants and merchants need to be distinguished, right?"

"But this merchant, with money, wants to become a powerful man, cultivate land with a large amount of sword hilt, and enslave farmers."

"So we have to let them know what the consequences of annexing the farmland will be. Just do what Liu Jing said. For those whose farmland exceeds the standard, not only will they not be exempted from taxes, but they will have to increase taxes!!"

As Liu Heng spoke, he suddenly calmed down again.

"However, I came to you not because of this matter."

"Oh, it's because of the restructuring?"

"It's about the rest messenger."

Liu Chang was a little surprised, "Didn't we negotiate to release him, learn about Anxi's situation from him, and then send envoys to each other to live in peace with Anxi temporarily? What happened?"

Liu Heng frowned, "He was just released yesterday, but he was attacked today. Fortunately, I was there, and the thief failed. I calmed him down and came to you."

"Huh?? What??"

Liu Chang's eyes widened, and he looked at Liu Heng in surprise, Liu Heng looked at Liu Chang for a long time, and then said: "I never leaked it, I know you are aggrieved by the letter of King Anxi, I thought you were too angry If it wasn't you who sent someone to kill him in private, it would be even more troublesome."

Liu Chang was a little anxious, "Who would kill a peace messenger??"

"Could it be the Taiwei?"

Liu Chang shook his head again, "My master wanted to kill someone, but I killed him with a sword. I can't do assassination. Fourth brother, please tell me the specific situation!"

Liu Heng went to visit the envoy where he lived, and asked him about the situation. Suddenly, a thief came out. After seeing the protecting soldiers, he hurriedly retreated and told Liu Chang one by one. Because he wanted to protect Liu Heng, he didn't dare to pursue him, and he couldn't even catch up with this group of assassins in the end.

Liu Chang's expression was very serious.

"This is not a trivial matter. There are no foreign enemies around the big man. Even the fleeing Huns, or poisoned people, it is impossible to infiltrate Chang'an to kill people. This is what our own people did to kill the peace envoy."

Liu Chang's face suddenly became ugly.

"Is this what a certain general sent someone to do for military merit?"

Liu Heng nodded, "I think it's the same. People who are fully armed can approach the inner city in broad daylight. Except for our own soldiers, who can do it?"

"The state of Qin started with military merit, and the great man has always implemented the system of military merit. You used to build a large-scale hall of loyalty, sacrifice those meritorious ministers, and chase them. It's so beautiful. Of these generals today, which one is not good? Looking forward to military merits, I want to be exempted from tax now. The generals may not be able to sit still. They all want to go to war. They don’t want to waste time, but this matter is terrible. Soldiers, if we are gone, what can they do for military merit?"

"However, it's hard to say that someone knew the contents of the letter and took revenge for you."

"It's still inconclusive."

Liu Heng explained seriously.

"Such behavior is tantamount to conspiracy!!"

Liu Chang was very angry, "Are you trying to coerce me into fighting Anxi?! How dare you disobey my orders for the sake of military merit?! Is this how Zhou Yafu commanded the army? I will break Zhou Yafu's legs!"

"Zhou Yafu's army is very strict, and the generals all obey his orders. Besides, Zhou Yafu does not covet military merits. I don't think this is what Zhou Yafu's soldiers did."

"Then who else?"

Liu Heng pursed his lips, "Let Liu Zhang investigate this matter in private, don't leak it out, the affairs of the generals must be cautious, and you can't be careless. Besides, if this matter gets out, , I’m also afraid of being distorted by others. Before you find out, you pretend you don’t know anything, and don’t bother Zhou Yafu, and the envoy of Anxi can be used to catch these people if necessary.”

"Now that Wang Tian is telling him to return to his hometown, there is really a shortage of talents in this area."

"Liu Zhang doesn't know how long it will take to investigate, so I will go to Zhou Yafu's side to find out what's going on there without making any noise."

Liu Heng, who knew Liu Chang very well, shook his head, "You still don't want to go, with your character, I'm afraid you will ride on Zhou Yafu's body in a few words, strangling his neck and questioning him?"

"Besides, this matter can also be an opportunity."

"Previously the Taiwei once said to me that the princes were restructured, the county guards were restructured, and the temples were restructured. Why didn't the army of the Han Dynasty be restructured? If this matter can be used as an excuse, it is impossible to say that the army can also be restructured. The army of the Han Dynasty is also the same. It’s also very complicated, just like today’s official system, disorganized.”

"it is good!!!"

As Liu Chang said, he punched the wooden case.

The wooden case suddenly split open, exposing the meat inside.

"Fourth brother. I beat this wooden case to death. Do you want to eat some wooden meat?"

ps: I went back to Tianjin in the afternoon and started to code, but I didn’t have enough energy and I was a little tired from writing. I will resume normal updates tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)