At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty

Therefore, the chief executives of the inland states and counties often danced with iron chains, and they had to dance wonderfully and beautifully, but they were miserable under the oppression of Guo.

Since the middle and late Eastern Han Dynasty, Guo Peng completely destroyed the centrifuge tendency that had been continuously generated due to inconvenient transportation and backward information transmission in the local area, and rebuilt a strong central deterrent with Luoyang as the core.

The well-connected transportation network and post stations all over the country made it impossible for local separatism to survive.

The so-called two evils are the lesser of the two evils. This will of course restrict the local government and slow down its development. The central and local forces will argue with each other, hinder each other, and interfere with local administration.

But strong stems and weak branches are better than weak stems and strong branches.

Although local officials can't carry out their work with their hands tied, they can't resist the central government's orders, and they can't build a small personal dynasty.

Guo, who thoroughly implements his ideas, will not have any sympathy for these bureaucrats.

As for whether such regulations and systems will collapse in the future, Guo also really believes that it will.

There will always be less diligent and smart emperors who will corrupt this system based on the emperor's personal authority, diligence and intelligence, leading to the failure of centralization.

The emperor's laziness and ignorance, the corruption of tax administration, the corruption of officials, etc., all of these will lead to the collapse of centralization. In the later period of the empire, there will always be a political situation where central control fails and local freedom is laissez-faire.

But even if it can only be maintained for three or four generations, it is good and meaningful if it can be maintained for a hundred years or so.

So seeing Mao Jie's bitter expression, he only felt very happy.

If the local bureaucrats have less power, it proves that the central emperor has more power. Isn't that great?

Now Guo Jin has understood the benefits of doing so, and is starting to continuously increase the authority of the central government office and strengthen the strength of the local branch of the central government office.

Guo Peng will not interfere with such a process.

"This is also in consideration of what happened in the troubled times of the former Han Dynasty. We all know that one or two of them were raised by a county or a state, and then developed into a big force. This is something that must be investigated. I I also know that it is difficult for you to do this, but in order to restore the stability of the world, I have to do this..."

Guo Peng babbled a lot of Mao Jie's ears, but the core content was just one sentence - I know there is a problem, but I will definitely not change it.

Well, if you don’t change it, don’t change it. Anyway, we have nothing to do.

As long as you don't always do some big cleanings and keep our lives safe, that's enough.

Mao Jie no longer struggled.

All the way to the main hall, Mao Jie had already prepared a sumptuous banquet, but there were only three of them participating in the banquet.

"Why, neither your wife nor my wife are here?"

"The minister ordered his wife to take the empress and four nobles to eat the small stove prepared by the lady in the backyard. The lady also prepared a lot of things, all of which are women's affairs. The emperor and the ministers should not participate in it."

Mao Jie smiled very interestingly.

"That's it... whatever."

Guo Peng nodded. Anyway, if they talk together, it's definitely not just the family's fault. It's not good for Mrs. Mao to listen.

Mao Jie invites Guo Peng to take the seat, and he sits in the accompanying seat.

Guo Peng didn't refuse either, and took the upper seat, letting Guo Chengzhi sit under Mao Jie.

Mao Jie carefully looked at Guo Chengzhi, his mind was full of thoughts.

Chapter 1514 Dead people are needed to rule a big country in one thousand and 450

Mao Jie secretly guessed that if he guessed correctly, Guo Peng brought Guo Chengzhi by his side, obviously because he wanted Guo Chengzhi to inherit Guo Jin's position and become the third emperor.

His status as the eldest son is his best reliance, and it is also the most important reliance for him to become the emperor.

Both Guo Peng and Guo Jin are the eldest sons. As long as Guo Chengzhi succeeds, it will be the best protection for the eldest son inheritance system.

Although everyone accepts the eldest son succession system, the position of the throne represents too much power, and this position is too eye-catching. If the eldest son honestly does nothing, the possibility of inheriting the throne is really slim.

Because there are always accidents, there are always people who like to make troubles want to make troubles, and they even don't hesitate to turn over the table. If the eldest son has no other advantages besides this status, he really can't cover this status.

But the current situation is different from the previous one.

Guo Peng seems to pay special attention to this point. From the very beginning, he did not give the other sons other than the eldest son Guo Jin a chance. Before he became emperor, he established Guo Jin's status as the heir. throne.

But right now, it seems that he is going to start cultivating the third generation, so that the third generation can establish its status early so that the future will be smooth and transitional.

Moreover, I heard that besides Guo Chengzhi's son, Guo Jin's other sons are only three years old. Apart from Guo Chengzhi, there is almost no one to choose at the moment.

Although Guo Jin has other sons, they are too young. If they want to establish a crown prince, they have no choice now.

Guo Peng became emperor at the age of 37, stayed in power for 13 years, and abdicated at the age of 50.

Guo Jin became emperor at the age of 34. If he learns from Guo Peng, then ideally, when he abdicates, except for Guo Chengzhi, other sons will not even be crowned as adults.

Guo Chengzhi's luck is really not so good.

At present, there is no news that Guo Jin plans to canonize the crown prince, but the news that the Supreme Emperor took his eldest grandson to go out on a parade is enough to make people believe in Guo Peng's expectations for Guo Chengzhi.

The attitude of the founder of the empire towards the eldest grandson can almost determine Guo Jin's candidate for the crown prince.

This wave...

You must leave a good impression on the future emperor.

Not for myself, but for my offspring.

Mao Jie suddenly regretted letting his sons and grandsons go out and not staying with him.

Otherwise, at this time, it can be brought out to make a familiar face, at least to deepen the impression, right?

oops! ! !

Mao Jie regrets that!

Guo Peng and Guo Chengzhi didn't know Mao Jie's little thoughts, they just had a happy meal with Mao Jie, and they hadn't enjoyed the old-age scholar-style banquet for a long time.

After tables, chairs and benches became popular, because they are more in line with the ever-accelerating Wei Empire-style daily life, more economical, and more suitable for commercialization, the folks have already rolled out tables, chairs and benches on a large scale, and even the government has been affected.

Except for the old-fashioned tables and cushions used for large-scale formal celebration banquets in the imperial court, basically all tables and chairs have been turned into benches.

The old-fashioned desks and cushions have become more and more a symbol of etiquette rather than practical significance.

"Such and such banquets are becoming less and less nowadays. In the palace, they are only used for large-scale formal celebrations. For some small-scale treats, I have asked people to prepare large tables. It saves effort and is easy to fight. reason."

Guo Peng knelt on the soft cushion and said with a smile, "I'm getting more and more unaccustomed to sitting upright now, and I always feel that sitting on a chair is more enjoyable."

"It's also for entertaining the Supreme Emperor. If the Supreme Emperor is not feeling well, I will ask someone to change the banquet immediately."

"No, it's good to sit like this once in a while, it reminds me of the past, when I was young..."

Guo Peng touched the table in front of him, and sighed: "How many years have passed, I have abdicated and became the Supreme Emperor, everything in the past is like a dream, Xiaoxian, you will have such a Do you feel it?"

"I will also feel that so many years have passed. Everything is like a dream. It seems that the dream is still 20 years ago. When I wake up from the dream, I suddenly find that I have reached the age of knowing my destiny."

Mao Jie held up a glass of wine to toast Guo Peng: "It's all thanks to the Supreme Emperor's Tianwei, who swept away the troubled times and allowed the ministers to see the coming of peace and prosperity. The Supreme Emperor, this glass of wine, I respect the Supreme Emperor."

Guo Peng returned the gift with a drink.

"Is it difficult to level the chaotic world? Maybe it is. It is not easy to level the chaotic world, but I think it is nothing compared to leveling the chaotic world and governing the world."

Guo Peng smiled disdainfully.

Mao Jie blinked, but said nothing.

When others say this, it feels like they are bragging and pretending to be coercive, but there is really nothing wrong with Guo Peng saying this, because he is the one who really leveled the world.

In the chaotic times of the former Han Dynasty, the eighteen princes competed for supremacy, warlords, big and small, and bandits roamed everywhere. The world was in chaos. Everyone could be a straw king. If you gather hundreds of people, you dare to call yourself a general.

In the end, it was Guo Peng who brought the world down.

From Tiannan to Haibei, from domestic to foreign countries, he has gone through hundreds of battles without a single defeat, he has expanded countless territories for the empire, and his martial arts prospered far beyond the Qin and Han Dynasties.

When Guo Peng said this, he was telling a fact, a fact that people had to accept.

"The Taishanghuang's martial arts is unprecedented. The heroes of the world are willing to be used by the Taishanghuang. I think that the Taishanghuang can not only bring peace to the world, but also govern the world well."

"Not necessarily."

Guo Peng laughed a few times, and put down the wine glass in his hand: "It's not like no one has ever done such a thing as sweeping the world. The First Emperor, Emperor Han Gaozu, and Emperor Guangwu have all done it, but those who govern the world well are really ever?

Qin ruled the world for more than 400 years and then collapsed. First Han and later Han added up to [-] years, but in the end, the country’s governance became worse and worse. It didn’t take long to level the world and become emperor. for four years.

But governing the world is not enough for a few decades, and even a few hundred years are not enough. It takes too much time and effort to govern the world, but the country becomes more and more chaotic, unable to be governed properly, and finally collapses, so you say , Is it more difficult to conquer the world than rule the world? "

Mao Jie had nothing to say.

Because what Guo Peng said was indeed the truth.

"The ancients said that governing a big country is like cooking small fish. I don't think it's right. How can governing a big country be compared to cooking small fish? Cooking small fish is no more than a matter of three or five people. Governing a big country is more than a matter of three or five people? Cooking small Why do you need dead people? To rule a big country, you need dead people."

Guo Peng raised his head and drank a glass of wine, while Mao Jie shivered unconsciously.

This is also the truth, to govern a big country is to die, not just a little, but a lot!

"The Supreme Emperor has ruled the country for 13 years, it's been hard work."

"It's hard work. When I became the emperor, I was not too young, so I was too tired to hold on. If I continue to hold on, I will die on the throne."

Guo Peng smiled, took a few mouthfuls of food, padded his stomach a little, and looked at Mao Jie.

"Okay, I won't talk about this anymore. It's meaningless to continue talking. It's just some complaints from an old man who stepped down from the throne. Xiaoxian, this time I'm going on a tour, not only to relax, but also to inspect the world.

The emperor is busy with official duties, so he has no time to spare in Luoyang City. I will do this inspection of the world. If I see something bad or should not exist, I will deal with it on behalf of the emperor, whether it is a person or a thing. Whether it's an event, it's all the same. "

Guo Peng said this very lightly.

Mao Jie paused the hand holding the vegetables with his chopsticks, his heart skipped a beat, and his heart beat suddenly accelerated.

What this means is...

If he thinks that someone is not competent enough or not doing a good enough job, will he be excused in one sentence?

He pretended to be fearless and looked at Guo Peng calmly.

"Your Majesty is exhausted, and the Supreme Emperor replaces His Majesty to inspect the world. If this action can be continued to future generations, it must be a great thing for me, Wei."

"That's natural. It would be the best if every emperor could be the Supreme Emperor honestly like me."

Guo Peng smiled and took a piece of meat to his mouth, chewed it for a while, and swallowed it.

After looking at Guo Chengzhi who was eating, and then at Mao Jie, Guo Peng spoke slowly.

"Xiaoxian, there is a lot of debate in the imperial court about your loosening the boundaries of fangshi in Chang'an City and Yongzhou counties, allowing peddlers to open shops and stalls in the city and on both sides of the main road, so as to expand the scope of peddlers' activities. It's still intense."

Mao Jie's heart suddenly thumped.

"The emperor, my minister..."

"This matter was already the focus of the court's controversy before I abdicated, but I kept it on hold and pushed this matter down. First, I don't think you should be the kind of person who forgets righteousness for small gains. , both, I want to see how well you do it.”

Guo Peng picked up his glass and took a sip of wine: "Now it seems that what you do is still effective. Among all the states in the country, commercial taxes account for more than [-]% of the tax revenue, only the Western Regions, Liangzhou, and your Yongzhou .

The Western Regions and Liangzhou are easy to explain. There are few people, the land is not fertile, and there are limits to the development of agriculture. It is difficult to compare with the Central Plains. , but your business tax here has reached [-]% of the total tax. "

Guo Peng put down his wine glass and looked at Mao Jie.

"No wonder those people in the imperial court suspect that you have colluded with some merchants, suspect that you are taking bribes and providing them with convenience."

"The Supreme Emperor, I have absolutely never had any private contact with any businessmen. I have only official contacts with them, and there is no personal relationship."

"I believe it."

Guo Peng nodded: "If I don't believe you, do you think you still have a chance to be governor of Yongzhou?"

Mao Jie was taken aback for a moment, thinking that what Guo Peng said was indeed reasonable.

If Guo Peng had any doubts, he would not be able to continue to be an official at all.

So what does he mean?

chapter 1515 one thousand four hundred and fifty

Guo Peng had no intention of embarrassing Mao Jie, but he had to clarify something with Mao Jie.

There are some things that Mao Jie cannot misunderstand, otherwise there will be big problems in the future.

"Xiao Xian, I'm not here to inquire about sin, I'm just here to ask you why you dare to do this?"