At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty

He urgently needs a hot event to divert people's attention and give himself a chance to breathe.

The news that the Emperor of China sent an envoy to visit him and wanted to negotiate with him the norms of trade between the two sides, etc., made him ecstatic, and made him feel that this was the super hot event that was enough to divert people's attention.

This is of course a super hot event.

After he spread the news, people in the entire city of Rome quickly forgot about Gaita, and they were all chatting enthusiastically about the news that the emperor of the silk-producing country had sent someone to visit.

Across thousands of mountains and rivers, that mysterious, rich and powerful country actually sent people to visit, which made them feel very surprised, and kept asking for specific news.

Businessmen, dignitaries, generals, local governors, and the emperor's cronies all sensed the benefits.

Silk, porcelain, handicrafts, etc., these are gold in their eyes.

No, it is more precious than gold, because it is so precious that the emperors of all dynasties of Rome waged wars against the Parthian Empire, which they called the Parthian Empire.

As a result, Gaita's death was soon no longer mentioned, and the wave of terror set off by Caracalla quickly dissipated, and everyone was talking about the Chinese coming from afar.

Caracalla seized this opportunity and told everyone that the Chinese are now in Egypt and will be invited by him to come to Rome for a very historic meeting.

The news was also sent back to Egypt to tell Wang Wei that the Roman emperor wanted to see him.

Wang Wei's original duty was to arrive in Egypt, find Roman officials, contact them, negotiate further contacts and trade matters, and report back to Guo Peng to let Guo Peng know, so as to send a more formal envoy team that meets the specifications. .

As a result, Wang Wei did not expect the Roman emperor to meet him.

Wang Wei discussed with the entourage, and everyone felt that the Roman emperor wanted to see him. If he didn't go, it would be impolite, and it would be a violation of the etiquette of the kingdom of heaven, so they should go to see him.

But the news had to be sent back, let the emperor know about it, and then send someone over. Wang Wei knew that his authority was not enough to determine the trade treaty between the two countries.

So Wang Wei decided to take part of the people to Rome to meet the Roman emperor, while the other part set off back to China accompanied by another group of Roman businessmen.

Wang Wei led some soldiers and entourages to follow in the footsteps of Roman officials, went up the Nile River and entered the Mediterranean Sea, then crossed the Mediterranean Sea, arrived at the Apennine Peninsula, the core area of ​​the Roman Empire, and finally entered the city of Rome.

With a very high standard of treatment, Wang Wei and his men entered the city of Rome.

Wang Wei and others, who are dressed in very strict and unique costumes that are different from the Romans, attract people's attention no matter where they go.

Regardless of their completely different faces and habits, well-equipped weapons, and a large number of precious goods, on the way to the city of Rome, Wang Wei and others attracted attention and attracted attention like rare species.

And their distinctive armor and equipment and full spirit made the Romans feel that their country was equally rich and powerful.

I heard that the Chinese army has bright armor and excellent weapons and equipment, and looks very good at fighting. In order not to lose face, Caracalla asked the Roman Praetorians who supported her ascension to also show their spirit and the strongest state to welcome them. The arrival of Chinese envoys.

Wang Wei's trip to Rome kicked off.

At the same time, when the news was sent back to China from Rome, Guo Peng was quite surprised. He did not expect that the Roman emperor wanted to see Wang Wei.

But it can be determined from this that the Roman officials attach great importance to this visit.

So Guo Peng decided to send a formal envoy to Rome with higher standards, formally meet the Roman emperor, sign a trade agreement and so on.

Zhang Liao was the leader of the team, and one-third of the officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Xinpi of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs set off directly with the ship, and almost all of the Interpretation Department were dispatched to Rome together.

It is not only necessary to negotiate business matters, but also to fully understand the political status, military strength and folk customs of Rome.

Go to as many places as possible, watch the various human states of the Roman Empire at this moment, and get a comprehensive understanding of this huge empire thousands of miles away.

This is the first official exchange between the Overlord of the Eastern World and the Overlord of the Western World.

Guo Peng attached great importance to this, and personally summoned the officials of the Translating Department, and asked them to read the books in the Rome collection after they arrived in Rome, and translate them into Chinese, bring them back to the Wei Empire, and hand them over to him.

It would be wonderful to see the books written by the philosophers of Rome and ancient Greece.

Even if you can't see it, it's good to bring back some high-end goods, at least let Guo Peng understand the current Roman Empire.

This visit of the envoys can also lay the foundation for future caravans at the official level, building a large fleet for collective sailing, and accumulating experience for subsequent sailings.

How much stuff to carry, how much space to spare, and how much daily necessities must be carried.

There is also a very important point, in order to prevent sepsis, not only need to carry some fresh fruits and vegetables, if you can find it along the way, of course you need to supplement, but the most important thing is tea.

The rich vitamin C in tea water is the best way to prevent sepsis.

Someone from Guo specially instructed Jiangnan Tea House to produce a large amount of tea bricks and hand them over to the fleet. It belongs to the [Emperor’s special gift], and everyone has a ratio. Everyone must drink it. It is a must-have just like food.

In this kind of matter, Mr. Guo didn't care about the interests.

But selling to the Romans must still cost a very high price, and it will definitely not be sold to the Romans casually.

Before Guo Peng went south to Linhai County to find Zhang Liao, this matter was already in preparation.

The ships sailed from Qingzhou to Yangzhou, and then arrived in Linhai County from Yangzhou. After replenishing a large amount of supplies and experienced sailors and sailors, a fairly large fleet was organized.

This fleet is composed of more than 30 large ships, and the total number of people dispatched this time exceeds 4000.

In addition to the officials of the mission, the soldiers and sailors who accounted for the vast majority of the total number, there were also imperial merchants, painters, and high-level spies from the Linzi camp, each of whom had their own tasks.

This is the core component of the Mission.

This trip to sea, if they can reach Rome smoothly, then their mission is not just to reach a trade agreement with the Roman Empire.

He wants to understand the current Rome in all aspects, and make the existence of Rome public to the world, let everyone know, and help all people in the country to broaden their horizons and understand this behemoth thousands of miles away.

Let all the people of the country open their eyes to see the world, and let them know that besides China, there is a vast land and a very huge political country. There is not only one China in the world.

After sorting out these things, Guo Peng didn't wait for the fleet to officially set sail. He still had a lot of things to do, and it was too late to wait here.

As an emperor, it is of course possible to go on tour, but it can't be too long, Luoyang is his main residence after all.

Guo Peng did not continue south to Jian'an County and Jiaozhou, but headed north all the way, embarked on the return journey, and then crossed the river from Lujiang County and entered Jingzhou.

Now that the work is done, the Grand Canal project is basically running smoothly without any major disturbances. It is expected that it will be completely completed within two or three years and the Grand Canal will be open to navigation.

Since then, the north and south have been connected by waterways, and the future internal hidden dangers of the Wei Empire will be greatly reduced with the passage of the Grand Canal.

The more developed the transportation, the stronger the dominance and the lower the cost of domination.

After walking around Yangzhou once, Guo Peng came to Jingzhou. Compared with Yangzhou he had been to before, he had never set foot on the land of Jingzhou, even Guo Peng in Yizhou. At that time, Hanzhong still belonged to Yizhou.

He has never been to Jingzhou.

Chapter 1376 Dismemberment of Jingzhou Academy

Guo Peng always felt a sense of unreality that a place he had never been to was included in his own rule.

Moreover, Jingzhou is now the last stronghold of the scholars.

The Jingzhou Xuexuetang directly under the Jingzhou Governor's Mansion is also the best among all the local schools owned by the Wei Empire, and its teaching staff is directly comparable to the Central Taixue.

The scholars here maintain their last glory and memories.

The children of scholars produced here have also taken up a huge proportion in the imperial examinations in recent years, severely suppressing the children of poor families and the children of Li Shu, frustrating their dignity.

There is no way, the leading degree of more than a hundred years cannot be changed in just a few years of imperial examinations.

For them, pulling the children of scholars to the same starting line of competition and competing on the same stage is something that generations of ancestors would never have dared to think about.

Jingzhou Xuexuetang is the last private land for scholars.

But this private plot seems to be brilliant, but reasonable people can still understand that with the development of the imperial examination, the last private plot of scholars will also decline.

With the further downward transfer of academics and the central government's manipulation of academics, what scholars have lost is definitely not just the privilege of being an official.

Therefore, before the Nine Years of Yande Rebellion, Jingzhou was definitely the state with the strongest centrifugal force among the states of the Wei Empire.

With the previous rebellion and large-scale liquidation, Jingzhou's centrifugal forces have been eradicated on an economic basis, and it is impossible to cause any waves again.

But on the basis of ideology, the centrifugal forces in Jingzhou are still very strong.

Ideologically, the remnant scholars in Jingzhou no longer reflect on the past glory and present decline all the time, and secretly criticize the current emperor by gnashing their teeth.

They tried their best to slander and insult His Majesty the current emperor to their friends, family members, and future generations, and they described the current Emperor Guo as their greatest enemy, their life and death enemy, and it was not enough to destroy their bones and ashes. hater.

They want their descendants to accumulate strength silently, dormant in this discolored land, silently waiting for the day when they can take revenge.

They must wait until Guo Peng is dead before they can come out to do things. If Guo Peng is not dead, they will never come out to do things.

In addition, you must continue to read, and officials must work hard, work hard, and get promoted. The more powerful you are in power, the more officials you have, the more likely you are to overthrow everything in the future and bring history back to its original direction. .

This is the last obsession of many remaining gentry families in Jingzhou.

Following the nine-year rebellion in Yande, they learned that as long as Guo Peng lived, they had no hope of turning the tables.

So they can only hope that Guo Peng will die early, or that after his death, the descendants will be able to grasp the real power of the Wei Empire.

Then, "set things right".

It is a pity that whether the Wei Empire will reach that day, whether they will have the opportunity to dominate the real power of the Wei Empire, are all uncertain things.

The power structure of the Wei Empire, at this time, has no existence that can threaten the emperor in terms of authority, and it is completely different from the power structure of the Han Empire.

Both Shang Shu Ling and Shang Shu Pu She have been cancelled, and will not be re-established in the future, and positions such as Xiangguo Prime Minister do not exist in the power system of the Wei Empire.

Even if they can achieve high positions, they cannot monopolize power.

They pinned their hopes on overthrowing the Guo Wei regime from within, and then returning to the golden age of scholars, that is pure wishful thinking.

The changes in education, the gradual popularization of imperial examinations, and the continuous popularization of paper have gradually reduced the cost of learning. Learning is no longer a privilege or a luxury.

Even if he is a Lishu in the head of Guizhou, he may enter the Central Taixue to study and then become an official.

The development of the times is so rapid. In just a few years, the academic ecology of the Wei Empire has completely changed.

The academic ecology that served the scholar family for hundreds of years maintained by the Five Classics and Fourteen Schools of Law was completely destroyed by someone Guo with five thousand forbidden troops, and he will never come back.

It is not that there are some sober people in Jingzhou who have noticed this.

It's just that if they don't have such delusions, how can they insist on passing on the family business?

And Guo Peng is not ignorant of this matter.

Guo Peng's understanding of this matter is still sufficient. His eyeliner ambush in Jingzhou ranks first in the country, and he knows every move of Jingzhou people.

The economic foundation has been eradicated, but the ideological foundation remains.

The ideological foundation also has continuity. If it cannot be uprooted, the future may not be chaotic.

Therefore, he closely monitors the thoughts of Jingzhou people, and there is more than one eyeliner in the Jingzhou Academy, and he knows exactly what the students in the Academy think and do.

Under the current situation, if this group of scholars still had some unrealistic fantasies, he didn't mind doing a little more to completely shatter their fantasies.

Guo is definitely not a tolerant person, that's for sure.

The emperor's visit to Jingzhou is a great "happy event" in Jingzhou.

Generals Zhu Ling and Guo Lie took over any city that the emperor would visit along the way very early, adopted a comprehensive takeover model for these cities, and dispatched the most elite troops to protect the safety of the emperor along the way to ensure that the safety of the emperor was foolproof.

What is the situation in Jingzhou? They are very clear that there are still remnants of crimes, and they are also investigating. In this case, they cannot relax their vigilance.

Guo Peng basically arrived in Jingzhou by boat, stopping in several cities along the way to buy some supplies-he did not allow the local government to organize the people to provide him with any special treatment.

All he used for his trips were materials from local warehouses. If he had any special needs, he would send eunuchs from the inner court to buy them locally. He would spend the money himself, without any additional expenditure from the local government.

What kind of welcome is the thing that Guo hates the most after he proclaims himself emperor, and he will never allow it. Any official who wants to flatter him on this kind of thing is purely on the horse's hoof.

Some people in prefectures and counties along the way did such things, and they were dismissed by Guo Peng on the spot, and they were driven back to their hometowns to farm. After that, nothing like this happened, and they all learned from Zhou Yafu.

Cai Mao obviously knew about this matter, so he was cautious about Guo Peng's arrival, but he didn't take any excessive measures.

He knew very well that Guo Peng hated this kind of superficial work, and he knew it very well when he went to Luoyang to report on his work.

So he ordered the Jingzhou officials not to make any changes, and all of them should stay in the local area and work honestly. If the emperor does not come, you should not move. When the emperor arrives at the gate of the city, you should go to greet him again, and there should be no unnecessary measures.

Otherwise, once the emperor is angry, it will not be beautiful.

The emperor likes Zhou Yafu, the kind of person who abides by the rules and closes the camp gate to prevent him from entering. If you don't want to lose your official position, just follow my instructions honestly.

Cai Mao's deterrence is very meaningful, and Jingzhou officials have really done this.

Although most officials in Jingzhou don't even know what the emperor looks like.

It has to be said that it is a very strange thing to be an official all his life but not know what the emperor he is loyal to looks like.

Now that the emperor is here, they are eager to know what the emperor looks like, but not everyone has such an opportunity.

Some officials were lucky enough to be able to see the emperor, and some officials were so angry that they were received and questioned by the emperor. It must be said that they were extremely lucky.

The emperor walked and inspected all the way, savoring people's livelihood all the way, like a proud lion king patrolling his own territory.

Although the emperor had never set foot in Jingzhou before, it was the first time to visit any part of Jingzhou.

Then, the emperor came to Jiangling.