Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 708: The Court’s Decision
Immediately afterwards, the Right Cavalry General Huangfu Song also spoke.

"I agree with Zuo Cheqi's words. Although Liangzhou is a cold and harsh place, it is connected to the Western Regions in the west and the desert in the north. In the past, our Han Dynasty educated the four barbarians and made all nations submit. It was from Liangzhou that we established the Western Regions Protectorate. Dunhuang and Jiuquan were once prosperous places. If they can be well governed, they may be able to regain the glory of the Zhao and Xuan periods."

When Huangfu Song said this, he seemed a little agitated.

When Liu He heard the word "Western Regions", his mind immediately brightened.

"What you two dear ministers said is exactly what I want. I intend to select generals and officials to go to various places in Liangzhou. Beidi, Anding, and Hanyang counties have been under the jurisdiction of the court for many years. The officials that need to be sent are mainly from the other seven counties. I intend to transfer a group of capable officials from Bingzhou and Sili to Liangzhou, and then garrison various places with heavy troops. After Liangzhou is stable and the grain and grass are harvested, I will send troops south to attack Chengdu directly. I wonder if you have any objections?"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

"The veteran seconded the proposal."

Wang Yun looked at the reactions of the ministers around him, thought for a moment, and then stood up: "This old minister also agrees with your majesty."

Liu He smiled and seemed very satisfied with the result. Even many ministers from Yang Biao's faction expressed their support.

"In the past two years, Yang Biao and others have been very respectful to me. It seems that they have figured it out. I will have a good discussion with them later and ask them to recommend more talents."

Just when he thought the situation was settled, Du Ji suddenly stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I think your Majesty's move can solve the emergency in Liangzhou. However, Liangzhou is a place surrounded by wars. Except for the eastern side bordering Sili, the other three sides all need to send generals to guard them with heavy troops. In addition, there are many cities in Liangzhou, and the officials needed cannot be appointed in a short period of time. The number of generals needed is also very large. The court will use troops in more places in the future. It is inevitable that it will be a waste of talent to send generals to guard the local areas."

His words touched Liu He's heart. When he discussed this issue with Xun Yu and others a few days ago, he was also worried about it. When Liu He saw him raise the issue, he just thought he had some good suggestions.

"If you have any suggestions, please feel free to speak up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I think there are also people among the civil officials who are good at military affairs. There are also generals who are capable of managing grain. For example, the Inspector of the Capital Cui Zhouping, the former general Guan Yunchang, the General of the East Zhang Mingwei, the General of the Southern Expedition Gao Boping, etc., are all talented in both civil and military affairs. They can lead troops to kill the enemy and govern a region. Your Majesty, why don't you select a group of such capable officials and send them to the border cities of Liangzhou, so that they can fight on horseback and pacify the people when they dismount. Then send a general to sit in Liangzhou and take charge of the military and political affairs of the province. Then the affairs of Liangzhou will be settled, and the difficulties of the court will also be resolved. Isn't it the best of both worlds?"

"Hmm... My dear, what you mean is that you want to select virtuous people from the army and let them serve as local officials?"

Liu He thought Du Ji's proposal was feasible. For example, Zhang Yong, with an intelligence of 89 and a political power of 71, could barely be a governor, and if he was in charge of a city, he would be more than qualified. Zhu Ye, Guan Yu, and Gao Shun all had a political power of more than 60, so they could govern the local areas.

Liu He roughly counted the generals in the army, and found that there were dozens of them with intelligence above 60 and politics above 50. It was difficult for these people to do anything great, but if they were sent to the local areas to execute and govern according to the imperial decree, they would be able to take on the responsibility. Liu He had never thought of this method before.

Unexpectedly, just as he was about to express his agreement, Lu Zhi spoke out in opposition.

"This is absolutely not feasible. What Jingzhao Yin said is nothing more than appointing one person as the governor of Liangzhou, and then ordering local governors and county magistrates to combine military and political affairs. This will allow many generals to serve as local officials, or local officials to take charge of military affairs. Although it can save a lot of official vacancies, the local power is too heavy, no different from the princes."

Du Ji said: "Under normal circumstances, political power and military power should be separated. However, the court is now in need of talented people. If there are suitable people, it will be beneficial to the country and the people to follow this example. When new talents are recommended and Liangzhou is gradually stabilized, Your Majesty will take back the power and divide it. It will not be too late. Otherwise, there will be more than a hundred officials missing in these seven counties and dozens of counties. The court is already short of people in charge. If so many capable officials are dispatched from all over the place, it will inevitably lead to unrest or make the government orders difficult to implement." At this time, Wang Qian also stepped forward and said: "As the saying goes, in an emergency, we should take the initiative. Although the intention of Jingzhao Yin is the same as mine, It is not in line with the court's conventions, but it is still a good policy. Moreover, for the country to survive for a long time, the court needs to get rid of the old and bring in the new. If we only value a few talented people who have made achievements and do not give opportunities to young talents, the number of official vacancies will only increase day by day, and young scholars will also be disappointed with the court, which is definitely not good for the country and the people. As for the excessive power of local officials, it is not a big problem. Those who will be appointed to Liangzhou by the court must be loyal and righteous people who have been examined at various levels and have good character. Your Majesty is wise and brave, and you will not let the local officials become powerful and threaten the center. "

The two men spoke very logically and every word they said made sense. Although Lu Zhi still looked unconvinced, he did not refute them.

Liu He looked at Yang Biao, who had been silent, and asked, "I wonder if the commander has any suggestions on this?"

Yang Biao had been resting with his eyes closed, but when he heard the emperor's call, he hurried out.

"When I was young, I was selected as a counselor. Although I was already an official of the imperial court, I was never given a high position. Later, the previous Jingzhao Yin died. I was only thirty-one years old at that time, so I was appointed as Jingzhao Yin by the imperial court and stayed in the important area of ​​the capital for several years. This made me, from a young and inexperienced minor official, become a person with a little virtue and prestige, so that I could do my best for the country."

"Liangzhou is a bitterly cold place with vast land and sparse population, and deserts are everywhere. In the past when Emperor Huan was in power, the tax revenue of Liangzhou was not as high as that of Wei County in Jizhou. It is just right for young people to hone their character and broaden their horizons, and lay a foundation for serving the court in the future. The advice of Taichang and others can solve the current difficulties of the court in employing people, and can also hone talents, killing two birds with one stone. I think it is feasible. However, Your Majesty is wise and will make a wise decision. I am old and confused, and there may be things I have not noticed. I humbly ask Your Majesty to make a wise decision."

What he said was almost a summary of what Wang Qian, Du Ji and others had said before. He also used his own experience when he was young to "present facts and reason", which made most of the ministers in the court nod their heads secretly.

"Since the Grand Commandant has said so, I will give it a try. Jingzhao Yin, Taichang, since you have proposed this, do you have any suggestions for the officials in Liangzhou?"

Wang Qian stepped forward and said, "I think that General Zhendong is calm, modest, brave, and resourceful. Since you think that the example of a governor should not be changed, it would be most appropriate to appoint General Zhang as the governor of Liangzhou and grant him the power of the imperial seal."

"Fourth brother, well, this is a good candidate." Liu He nodded slightly.

Guan Yu and Zhu Ye also showed joy upon hearing this. They did not care about the disputes in the court. In their opinion, it was better to keep the wealth within the family and their brothers should be put first when it came to dealing with the problems. Therefore, Guan and Zhu, who were somewhat dissatisfied with Du Ji and others just now, suddenly lost all their anger.

Wang Qian continued, "Weiwu County was guarded by General Ma Teng in the past. Although it is not rich, it has always been stable. The three counties of Beidi, Hanyang, and Anding, as well as Yunhai County in Bingzhou, are all prosperous places that have been governed by the court for a long time. Now General Ma Chao is even braver than his father, and he knows Weiwu County very well. Although he is young, he is also capable of taking on important tasks. I think General Ma Chao can be appointed as the commander of Weiwu County and act as the governor."

When Ma Chao heard this, he was delighted. He was happier to be able to return to Weiwu County and serve as a captain than to be a prefect anywhere else.

"Lu Yong, the magistrate of Taicang, has a profound family background and is both civil and military. He has always been cautious and has never made any mistakes while serving as the magistrate of Taicang. He can be transferred to be the governor of Dunhuang. Huangfu Chang, the commander of Beidi County, not only has the style of a famous general, but is also gentle and elegant, with an excellent reputation. He can be transferred to be the governor of Jiuquan."

Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song were both stunned. Lu Yong was Lu Zhi's nephew, and Huangfu Chang was Huangfu Song's eldest son. They never expected that the other party would recommend these two people, which made it inconvenient for them to refute.

After a long time, the court meeting ended, and more than a dozen important official positions in Liangzhou were almost all handled according to the suggestions of Du Ji, Wang Qian and others. All officials were required to take up their posts within 15 days after receiving the imperial edict.

(End of this chapter)