Reborn in the late Northern Wei Dynasty

Chapter 352 Alliance (5000)

Gao Cheng is well aware of Lou Zhao's problem with drinking, and he persuaded him in the early years, and Lou Zhao also listened to the advice. For a long time, he only had a few drinks occasionally, but later he learned that Guan Long had been recovered and Gao Huan had passed away. After being overjoyed and saddened, he drank again.

Gao Cheng's worries about Lou Zhao's physical condition were not superfluous. He was familiar with history books, but there is no record of Lou Zhao's death year in the history books. It can only be clearly stated that he died before the founding of the Gao clan: Announce his tomb and make him king of Taiyuan. '

After the autumn harvest, arranging a few more people to enter the customs to lead the military in Guanzhong is also to prevent emergencies, not to guard against Lou Zhao's rebellion.

On July [-]th of the tenth year of Taichang, Gao Cheng drove to Chang'an and met his uncle Lou Zhao face to face.

"Also please take care of your health, uncle, don't drink too much, and don't forget the story of Master Sun Bo."

As soon as they met, he could smell the lingering smell of alcohol on Lou Zhao's body, Gao Cheng couldn't help persuading him.

Be it public or private, he hoped that Lou Zhao would remember the lesson of Sun Wei's drunken death.

Lou Zhao knew that his nephew was doing it for his own good, so he readily agreed, expressing that he would be moderate in the future.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the uncle and nephew entered the city holding hands, and went to the Governor's Mansion to welcome the wind banquet. During the banquet, Yanyan talked and laughed, and in Luoyang City, a big drama also kicked off.

Qi Wang Gaocheng left Luo for a few months, Yuan Shanjian, who had once condemned himself and blamed himself, reverted to his old ways. He actually proposed to move a million households from Sanhe to Guanlong in a court meeting.

Shangshu Zuo Pushe and servant Sun Teng advised:

"Sanhe is a place where the imperial court pays a lot of food and taxes. If millions of households are moved to the west, and the grain production in the Kanto decreases, how can the imperial court use it?"

Yuan Shanjian reprimanded this:

"Sun Pushe is so ignorant that he moved to Sanhe and worked hard to cultivate. If he went to Guanlong, he would have nothing to do with production! If it weren't for Guanlong, there would be no land!"

Guanlong naturally has land, and Longshan is barren, but Guanzhong is indeed fertile, at least at the current stage of Guanzhong.

Sun Teng couldn't be right, Zhongshu ordered Sima Ziru to persuade him again:
"It is difficult for the people to leave their homeland, and I hope that Your Majesty will remember the common people."

Yuan Shanjian did not back down and said:

"The land of the three rivers is almost inseparable. In the early years of Taichang, one town could get a hundred mu of land, but today it is less than half. The people complain about it, but there are no plowers in the good fields in Guanzhong. The remaining people who divide the three rivers have nothing to cultivate in Guanzhong. The Lord's Field is all about the common people!"

Sima Ziru was speechless, and Cui Jishu, Minister of the Household Department, wept again and said:

"Your Majesty, the national treasury is now empty, and it is time to recuperate. Migration and settlement are both costs."

After all, he pointed to his temples which were dyed gray and white with plant ash this morning, and cried:

"This minister is only 27 years old, and his hair has already turned gray due to financial constraints. Please think again, Your Majesty."

Yuan Shan became angry when he saw Cui Jishu. Earlier, this person emptied his internal treasury. Later, when Yanli entered Luoyang, he refused to give him a cent, even if he bought him a new suit of clothes. The emperor of Wei, wearing patched clothes all day long, not only lost his own dignity, but also the king of Qi.

But Cui Jishu's nostrils were turned upside down, and he said to the eunuch who came to ask for it that "the country is in a hurry" and there is still a lot of money for the imperial court, so the emperor would not want to use this money.

Resisting the disgust towards Cui Jishu in his heart, Yuan Shanjian said in a deep voice:

"Now that the national treasury has benefited from salt and the finances have improved slightly, why did Shangshu Cui say this? Even if something is released today, when Guanlong is revitalized in the future, the income will be thousands of times the loss of relocation. Why is Cui Shangshu stingy on the relocation expenses? .”

Cui Jishu wanted to persuade him again, but Yuan Shanjian interrupted:
"If Cui Shangshu still uses the excuse that the treasury is empty, I will go to the treasury with you today and take stock of it myself!"

Hearing the threat from the emperor, Cui Jishu quickly shut up.

Attendant Feng Longzhi came out to smooth things over and said:
"This is a big matter, Your Majesty may wish to send someone to consult King Qi's opinion before making a decision."

Yuan Shan was furious when he heard the words:
"Ask King Qi for instructions on everything. In your hearts, it is possible that King Qi is the emperor of Wei! And I am just a puppet!"

Sun Teng, Sima Ziru, Cui Jishu, Feng Longzhi who had spoken out before, and Li Yuanzhong, Yang Min, and Cui Xian who had not yet had time to speak, kowtowed and pleaded guilty as if they had been struck by lightning, with panicked expressions on their faces:

"Your Majesty! The ministers are only speaking for state affairs, and have no such intentions."

Why do you say that only the Qi Wang party is pleading guilty?Because the clan and ministers are all watching the theater, if someone can sell melon and fruit snacks in the Mingguang Palace where the affairs are discussed, they will probably be snapped up.

After a heated debate, the King Qi party, which controlled the government, could not change the emperor's mind after all. Yuan Shanjian personally issued an edict that after the autumn harvest, millions of households would move to Sanhe to revitalize Guanlong.

This edict was issued everywhere, but it did not immediately arouse public dissatisfaction. After all, it is a fact that Sanhe has a small population and many people. In densely populated areas, the land per capita is only [-] mu.

The public's dissatisfaction will not erupt until the migration list really falls on them.

In fact, Gao Cheng chose to emigrate people in this year, there is also a theory. At this time, it has been ten years since the first year of Taichang, and the Kanto region has turned from chaos to rule.

From chaos to governance is often accompanied by the outbreak of a wave of births. Since the people reach the age of 15, they can apply for land grants. That is to say, in another five to six years, a large number of adult populations will be added, waiting for land grants. Labor will then be compensated to some degree.

The relocation enjoys 3-5 years of tax reduction and exemption. Waiting for the tax reduction and exemption period to pass, it happens that the Kanto labor force will be filled, and the treasury revenue will achieve explosive growth. At that time, the supply of Guandong and Guanlong will also have South Instead of relying solely on Guandong now, Guanlong is in a semi-disabled state.

Gao Cheng's annexation of Guanlong was not to let it be abandoned. As the Guanlong area that gave birth to the Sui and Tang dynasties, it should bear more responsibility for the ambition of King Gao.

When Yuan Shanjian's edict to relocate people was passed to Kansai, Gao Cheng happened to fall ill during his inspection tour in Qinzhou. It is said that he contracted a cold.

Knowing that the emperor was going to torment the people again, the king of Qi wanted to return to Luoyang with his illness, but a group of civil servants and generals pleaded bitterly, hoping that the king of Qi could recover from his illness in peace, so Gao Cheng gave up his intention of returning to the court and just dictated a memorandum , was written by Wen Zisheng and sent to Luoyang, asking the emperor to take care of human feelings and not to make the people leave their homes again.

Look, King Qi is so seriously ill that he even needs someone to write the memorabilia, but Yuan Shanjian insists on going his own way, and Gao Cheng is helpless on the sick bed.

Jingzhou, Xiangyang.

Hou Jing read the mansion newspaper, and said to his confidant Wang Wei:
"The king of Qi is sick in Qinzhou, and Luoyang's civil and military forces are overwhelmed by the emperor, and he dare not obstruct it. Do you believe it?"

Wang Wei laughed and said:

"If the Son of Heaven has such prestige, even if King Qi is dying, he will drag his sick body back to court."

When Hou Jing heard this, he leaned forward and backward with laughter, he calmed down after a while, and reprimanded him pretending to be serious:

"What Wang Jun said is so disrespectful to King Qi!"

"As a minister, one should respect and serve the Lord, but a minister is a minister of the envoy, not a minister of the king of Qi!"

After hearing Wang Wei's words, Hou Jing's heart was in full bloom. After he praised him again and again, he asked Wang Wei again:

"Wang Jun thinks that someone will really believe the news that King Qi is ill."

Wang Wei said lightly:
"King Qi's treachery and hypocrisy are well known to the whole world, and the high-ranking party is domineering, and the whole court has seen it. Now that King Qi's confidantes are all over the court and the public, and assassins everywhere are wings, how can the emperor cheer up? But any wise person can see through it. Even if I am really ambitious, but I dare not move."

Hou Jing also knew what he said was reasonable, so he could only say dejectedly:

"I thought He Liuhun was cunning enough, but I never thought his son was even worse."

The fact is just as the two discussed, Gao Cheng just pretended to be ill and took the opportunity to distance himself from the relationship.move
It is true that some of the people in the Sanhe area who have received a full amount of land in the Sanhe area are grateful for moving a large number of people, but what they are facing is the anger of 100 million households. Xiao Gaowang even refused to take the blame for the 30 households at the beginning of the year. How could he want to ruin his own reputation.

As for Yuan Shanjian, what does he want to be famous for? Playing the role Gao Cheng arranged for him with peace of mind is that although this role is hated by others, he is not a lone husband and a thief.

I just don't know if the powerful ministers will follow suit in the future and play tricks on the last emperor of Gao Qi like this.

The country has not even been established, so let's not mention the matter of the country's subjugation.

On the twelfth day of September in the tenth year of Taichang (541), after the autumn harvest, Yuan Shanjian's decree of relocation was officially implemented.

At that time, it was necessary to catch up with the spring plowing, but now it is only autumn harvest, so there is no need to be in such a hurry, as long as the spring plowing is completed before the next year's spring plowing.

As I said before, the reason why the public's dissatisfaction has not been aroused is that the migration quota has not fallen on their own heads.

Gao Cheng, who was ill in bed, did not dare to be careless, Wen Zisheng had already written on behalf of Wen Zisheng in advance, and the emperor asked for a five-year tax relief for the people who moved to Longyou, and a three-year tax relief for the people who moved to Guanzhong.

Seeing that Yuan Shan received the memorial from the King of Qi, he changed his character as an independent husband, and actually followed the good advice, and immediately distributed it to all parts of the country.

At the same time, according to the population allocated by the Guanlong prefectures, Gao Cheng ordered the three-level governors of the local prefectures, counties, and counties to build insufficient residences in advance to accommodate the resettlers.

As before, staff and other personnel were sent to the states to supervise the distribution of residences and acres of land, and officials were prohibited from enriching their own pockets. Anyone who corrupted ink would be dealt with according to the "Taichang Law".

Gao Cheng's various measures have played a soothing effect on the people. At least the resettlement work is proceeding in an orderly manner, and no large-scale civil unrest has broken out. Small commotions and complaints must be inevitable.

It's a done deal, King Qi, who was so sick that he couldn't even hold a pen, can finally stay in bed and walk.

The people in Qinzhou watched Gao Cheng dragging his sick body to inspect the fields, and everyone who saw them was moved. Most of them were part of the 30 households who had previously moved from Henan.

At the beginning of the year, they were forced to relocate by Yuan Shanjian. Although the tyrant finally issued an edict of guilt, everyone's well-being was conspired by King Qi. Thinking about His Royal Highness Qi's benevolent government over the years, this great Wei Dynasty If there is no King Qi, how can we be born.

Numerous nursery rhymes praising the merits of King Qi also spread in the Guanlong area as the people moved westward. At least Gao Cheng's notoriety among the aborigines in Guanlong has improved significantly.

After all, everyone said that it was Gao Huan's decision to trample on the seedlings. After the capture of Tongguan, Duan Shao's stupid things in the Guanzhong Plain were also assigned by Gao Huan in advance.

King Qi persuaded and stopped him, but he couldn't persuade or stop him. He really tried his best.

While expressing condolences to the living conditions of the resettlers in the new environment, Gao Cheng also lamented the barrenness of Kansai today. The previous 30 households were indeed not enough to revitalize Guanlong, but this time with 100 million households moving in Guan, mainly the Guanzhong area, only needs five years, and it will be a fruitful season.

In the final analysis, fighting is all about money and food, so it is natural to prepare to go south when the time comes.

Little Gao Wang always treats all people equally, it doesn't make sense that the monks in the north were persecuted by him, but the monks in the south can get away with it, especially the leader of the monks, Xiao Bodhisattva, who has been dragging his back a few years ago, Gao Cheng already has a bellyful of debts to settle with him.

The news of His Royal Highness King Qi's recovery spread to the Kanto region, and the people everywhere rejoiced. After all, it is rare to see a virtuous king like King Qi.

Countless officials were filled with emotion at Gao Cheng's brazenness:
Good guy, when the decree is issued, you are sick, and when the decree is implemented, you are cured. During the recuperation period, you have to take the credit for appeasing the people. Why don't you let the emperor issue another edict of guilt and take the blame for yourself?

In this regard, Gao Cheng said: Don't rush, I have already written again, and I will stamp Yuan Shanjian when I go back.

After Gao Cheng recovered from his illness, he went around the Longyou prefectures again. During this period, he even made an appointment with Tuyuhun Khan on the border between the two countries through the envoy of Tuyuhun Khan.

The two sides reaffirmed the good-neighborly and friendly bilateral relations. Tuyuhun Khan Kualu said that Tuyuhun will always adhere to the principle of one great Wei and firmly refuse to recognize the Yuanbaoju government in exile in Shu.

Yuan Baoju proclaimed himself a minister to Nanliang in name, but behind closed doors, he still acted like the emperor of the Yuan and Wei Dynasties, with Yu Wentai as the prime minister, in charge of military and political power.

Gao Cheng and Kua Lu also exchanged information on the national conditions of their respective countries, and reached an agreement on the border trade between the Great Wei and Tuyuhun. Official trade will be carried out at the border, and silk, tea and other commodities will be exchanged for the Qinghai Cong cultivated by Tuyuhun.

The two also had an in-depth exchange of views on regional issues of common concern. After discussing business affairs, private affairs were not left behind. Tuyuhun Khan Kualu hoped to marry the clan sister who was going to Luoyang to marry Yuan Shanjian to King Qi.

King Qi declined because his subjects could not win the wife of the Son of Heaven, and Tuyuhun Khan was furious. Seeing that the originally friendly bilateral relationship was clouded, King Qi had no choice but to agree to it for the peace of the people in Longyou and the peace between the two countries.

Of course, this explanation of King Qi’s taking concubines comes from the manuscript left by Zhang Shiqi, who was the governor of Guangzhou at the time. .

But there is no doubt that the friendly talks between King Qi of Great Wei and Tuyuhun Khan this time have indeed maintained the peace on the border between the two countries for a long period of time.

It was not until Gaoqi said that three Tuyuhun soldiers attacked our outpost, and the Gaoqi envoy asked 3 troops to enter the country to search for the perpetrators. This reasonable request was rudely and brutally rejected by Tuyuhun Khan, and the border between the two sides was rekindled. war.

Of course, this was all after the founding of the Gao family. Anyway, it must be Tuyuhun who started the frontier provocation first, and it was definitely not King Gao's betrayal of the alliance.

After Gao Cheng and Tuyuhun Khan Kwalu agreed on their marriage, they burned incense in the altar, killed the white horse as an alliance, and became brothers. As for the white horse, it must have come from Kwalu. a white horse.

After the oath, the two bid farewell. Gao Cheng rode the Qinghai Cong given by Tuyuhun Khan, and Tuyuhun Khan also wore the gorgeous clothes that Gao Cheng put on him, walking with their backs.

When Gao Cheng returned to Luoyang via the Guanlong area, he met many Sanhe people who had migrated along the way. Every time he heard the people crying and complaining about the pain of leaving their hometown, Gao Cheng would be moved accordingly. He sincerely apologized to everyone. Khan joined the alliance and contributed to the peaceful situation in Longyou, so he left Luoyang, allowing the emperor to act arbitrarily.

When he heard the news, he fell ill again. Of course, the matter has passed, and it is useless to say more. Gao Cheng promised the immigrants that he would restrain the emperor in the future.

What the migrants actually want is Gao Cheng's attitude. After all, bad things are done by the emperor. The king of Qi is dedicated to the well-being of everyone. Good people should not be pointed at by guns.

King Qi continued to drive eastward, and the personnel appointments for Lou Zhao and Wang Sizheng's separation of powers had been sent to Cui Xian, Minister of the Ministry of Officials.

Gao Cheng added the post of Duwei in the Guanlong prefectures to take charge of the prefectures and counties of the prefectures, and the troops directly under Wang Sizheng and Lou Zhao only had [-] Xianbei soldiers each.

Of course, Gao Cheng had explained this to Lou Zhao and Wang Sizheng when he was in Yongzhou and Qinzhou respectively. During the war, the two were the temporary top military officers in the area, and the captains of all states had to obey orders.

It's just that in peacetime, you can't interfere with the military affairs of other states.

Lou Zhao and Wang Sizheng had no intention of plotting chaos, so naturally they would not object.

Cui Xian, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, efficiently adjusted his official positions based on the list of captains sent back by Gao Cheng.

Naturally, it was impossible for Gao Cheng to let the first-line generals go to the Guanlong area to lead the soldiers of the prefecture and county.

Many steadfast and reliable cronies were middle-level military officers who were promoted by the front line, such as Xue Huer's sister-in-law Zhang Mo from Huaishuo, and Liu Yanshou from Woye Huns, etc., stayed in the Guanlong prefectures, waiting for the imperial court's official letter of appointment.

The news that Gao Cheng intercepted Hu Yuanshan's sister from the Tuyuhun Khan family that he was going to marry also spread to Luoyang. Of course, many people explained to Gao Cheng that he was forced by Tuyuhun Khan. It is said that Tuyuhun Khan threatened that if the king of Qi refused, he would Even though the land of Longyou was being invaded every year, Gao Chengna's marriage was entirely out of selfishness.

Among them, Zhang Shiqi, the governor of Guangzhou, advocated this statement most vigorously.

Fortunately, the Son of Heaven was benevolent and did not pursue King Qi's fault. Of course, King Qi was also doing it for the peace of Longyou, and he had no fault of his own.

Yuan Shanjian issued an edict to praise the girl from the Lu family as Princess Ronghua, and planned to marry her and Gao Cheng after they returned to Luoyang.

As everyone knows, Xiao Gaowang has already had a feast of beauty on the way.

However, the state examination, which should have attracted attention, has received little attention under the background of millions of households moving westward.

As for Wang Ajing's son, Wang Gongyun, he failed the exam as expected. After all, he was too young, and he also passed the county test at the beginning.

(End of this chapter)