The Three Kingdoms: The Cold Gate World

Chapter 148
After the war, Lu Bu stayed in Hanzhong for more than two months. Guo Jia was actually watching the development of the situation in Chang'an. Come, set off for Chengdu.

On the way back to Chengdu with [-] soldiers from the trapped camp, Guo Jia did not ride in a carriage. He chose to ride a horse because he thought about Zhen Jiang in his heart. Counting the days, she will give birth soon.

Guo Jia, who was in a hurry, called Fazheng to his side when he was taking a break on the way, and asked, "Xiaozhi, how will the situation in Guanzhong develop in the future?"

There is not much information at hand, and Fazheng does not dare to utter lies, so he can only seek truth from facts.

"In the past in Chang'an, Dong Zhuo covered the sky with one hand, but now Li Jue, Guo Si, and Fan Chou are in charge of their own affairs. They must not have come from the emperor's edict to enshrine their titles as marquises and generals, so they are actually holding the emperor hostage. Li Jue named the chariot general, General Guo Sihou, General Fan Chouyou, and Zhang Ji left Chang'an after appointing General Hussars, and stationed troops in Sizhou Hongnong. It can be seen that they are also worried at this time, for fear that the princes of the Kwantung will attack them. My lord, Lu Bu's lesson from the past is enough to make them fear Yizhou."

After taking a sip of water, sitting on the grass and looking up at the not-so-spicy sunlight, Guo Jia wiped off the sweat on the tip of his nose, and said with a light smile, "Xiaozhi, I know what you said, can you tell me something? Don't you know?"

Fazheng was a little helpless. After six months of contact with Guo Jia, he also knew that this young master sometimes likes to pretend to be ignorant and always likes to ask his subordinates about everything, but he already knows it in his heart.

There's nothing wrong with that, it's all about brainstorming. If Guo Jia is resourceful and doesn't listen to other people's opinions, he will be self-willed if he develops, which is definitely not a good thing.

Patting the grass beside him, Guo Jia signaled Fazheng to lie down and bask in the sun for a while.

Fazheng sat down and pondered for a moment, then said: "How the situation in Guanzhong will develop depends on the external movements in Guanzhong. If the princes attack Guanzhong, Li Jue, Guo Si and others will definitely form a group and go out together. If the princes ignore it, Li Jue, Guo Si, etc. Sooner or later, the others will fight among themselves, they used to be under Dong Zhuo's command, and they obeyed Dong Zhuo's orders, but now no one can control them, and mutual disobedience is inevitable."

Leaving aside the fierce battles among the feudal lords of Guandong, even if Guo Jia wanted to seize the land in Guanzhong, he would not attack Guanzhong at this time. Turning heads, this kind of tactic was not uncommon in the Three Kingdoms period. Cao Cao used this tactic against Lu Bu and Liu Bei when they were in Xuzhou, and against Yuan Shao's sons after the Battle of Guandu. At this time, it should be the same with Li Jue and Guo Si.

"Xiaozhi, if I go to Chang'an and ask the court to appoint me as Yizhou shepherd, do you think it is feasible?"

Since Li Jue, Guo Si and the others don't know how to attack Yizhou, and they are afraid that the princes will attack them, Guo Jia wants to see if he can use this opportunity to rectify his name.

Fazheng thought for a while, then shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, you can submit to the court, but you have to wait for the Guandong princes to express their attitudes before doing so. Right now, your lord's position is not clear. If the court's approval is granted, then the Guandong princes will be afraid of my lord and Li Jue." Guo Bang united, let’s wait until the princes have expressed their attitude towards Li Jue and Guo Si, and then the lord will make plans. If the lord has just made a statement and the princes attack Guanzhong, wouldn’t the lord be at odds with the princes again? "

These words made Guo Jia nod, he smiled and said, "I'm still impatient, let's wait and see what happens."

To adopt different strategies in different periods, there are a lot of things to do, and only when the right time comes, can we achieve our goals and receive the expected results.

On a sunny afternoon, Guo Jia led his army back to Chengdu. The cavalry who returned to Chengdu to report in advance conveyed Guo Jia's meaning that civil and military personnel in the city did not have to go out of the city to greet him, even though Guo Jia returned victorious.

Immediately after entering the city, officials from Yizhou Prefecture were summoned to discuss matters in the government.

Regardless of washing away the dust, Guo Jia listened to the reports of his subordinates in the meeting hall.

The autumn harvest is approaching, and Zhen Yan and Huang Quan, who are in charge of civil affairs, are very busy, but they are still organized and clear when reporting work, and everything is well-founded, which Guo Jia can understand very clearly.

It is expected that this year's harvest will be [-]% higher than in previous years, and the tax revenue will naturally be higher than before.

"Zhicai, Yuanzhi, the two of you, together with Yushitai, will increase the salaries of all officials in Yizhou by [-]% in the next three years."

After Guo Jia finished speaking, Xi Zhicai and Xu Shu came out to take the order, but Zhen Yao came out to object: "My lord, the salaries of officials are now paid according to the salary standard of officials in the Han Dynasty. If the salary is increased, it may lead to extravagance and pleasure for the officials." wind."

Guo Jia, who was sitting on the chair, looked as usual, and said: "In this way, whoever you agree with, and whoever opposes, explain the reasons, understand the pros and cons, and then see if it is feasible."

After the people in the hall whispered for a while, Qin Mi took the lead and said calmly: "My lord, I think this is feasible. Most officials in Yizhou hold multiple positions. It is said that those who are capable work more, and those who work hard get more. Since they are Give them what they deserve."

To streamline the bureaucracy system, Guo Jia removed many vain posts, and the official posts that did not do practical things in name have been left vacant, and other officials in positions of real power will concurrently hold them, and they will be more busy when needed.

After Qin Mi finished speaking, Fazheng immediately stepped forward and said, "It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but it is difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. My lord advocates frugality, and if the officials under your rule accumulate wealth over the years, they will inevitably live extravagantly." , If you want to correct this trend, I am afraid it will not be easy."

Zhang Song is in charge of household registration, money, food and other work. At this time, he came out and said: "My lord advocates frugality, but he has not issued a government order. The population of Yizhou has been increasing in recent years. Local households live in peace and prosperity, and local officials are naturally busier than ever in management, increasing their salaries is an affirmation and praise for their political achievements, and I believe that this move by the lord is just a kind act of sympathy for the ministers."

Zhen Yan came out with a worried face and said: "My lord treats my ministers kindly, there is nothing wrong with it. But my lord, the tax revenue has been rich in recent years, because the weather has been good and there are no disasters and wars. Now that the salary is increased, Yizhou can afford it. But if the next year There are natural disasters and military disasters, and the promotion of officials' salaries becomes a big burden."

Hearing that the officials in the hall were arguing, Guo Jia was happy to see this situation. If he said something and the people below agreed, then there would be a problem.

Looking at the calm Xi Zhicai, Guo Jia smiled and asked, "Zhicai, what do you think?"

Xi Zhicai stood up and cupped his hands, saying: "My lord Qin, my lord Zhang, my lord Zhen, and my lord Fa, all of them are reasonable. I believe that the master said that the official salary will be increased by [-]% in three years, and that is to be done step by step. It was not achieved overnight. The life of the people in Yizhou has been significantly improved due to the policy of the lord's slack tax and low tax. Every family has land and households have surplus food. Officials are envious of the benefits of the common people and have evil intentions secretly, so their salaries should indeed be increased, and secondly, after the officials’ salaries are increased, talented people who aspire to become officials will come to Yizhou more enthusiastically to participate in scientific examinations.”

After listening to Xi Zhicai's opinion, the other counselors also fell into deep thought.

In fact, Xi Zhicai's words are exactly Guo Jia's original intention, high salary to maintain integrity, and at the same time attract talents with glory and wealth. The ideal of serving the country and the people is too lofty. Holding high the banner of helping the world, it is better to use rewards to further attract talents.

As for the completion in three years, it is to avoid a sharp drop in income caused by natural disasters and military chaos in the middle. Haste makes waste. Fiscal expenditures should not only focus on immediate income, but take a long-term view, otherwise the accident may be overlooked. The blow ground disintegrated completely.

As the imperial examinations are held every year, the officials under Guo Jia will no longer be the children of the villagers who followed him out of Yingchuan to occupy an absolute numerical advantage. How to win over them is something Guo Jia must consider. Longmen, but people's hearts are not satisfied. Let them develop their talents and give them high treatment, so that they can work for Guo Jia steadily. Of course, unless other princes can offer them better conditions, then Guo Jia Jia wanted to stay but couldn't, but is it possible?The origins of many people cannot even lift their heads in front of other princes, let alone appoint them as officials.

It is precisely because Guo Jia has clear rewards and punishments that he does not want officials to know the law and break the law. No matter who enriches their own pockets, they will not be forgiven by Guo Jia, because what Guo Jia can give, he has already given to the maximum.

After the conclusion of this move was reached, Xu Shu issued a report and reported: "My lord, news came from the Central Plains spies that Gongsun Zan's power had expanded to Qingzhou, and Tian Kai was appointed as the governor of Qingzhou. Yanzhou Mu Liu Dai crusade against the Qingzhou Yellow Turban who entered the country, unfortunately died. After Cao Cao succeeded Liu Dai in the crusade against the Qingzhou Yellow Turban, he incorporated this force, and after Chen Gong lobbied officials from all over Yanzhou, he elected Cao Cao as the new Yanzhou Shepherd."

The battle of the Kanto princes is really lively, it is better to be more intense.

Guo Jia chuckled lightly and said, "Gongsun Zan is so aggressive that he has to look forward to Shu. Sooner or later, he will perish. It seems that Hebei will soon be ruled by Yuan Shao. Cao Cao? He has finally risen."

Thinking of someone, Guo Jia asked with a playful smile, "What has Yuan Shu been doing lately?"

Mentioning Yuan Shu, many counselors in the hall shook their heads and sighed. Zhen Yao said in a slightly mocking tone: "Yuan Shu has been mobilizing troops recently, and it seems that he is going to use troops against Yanzhou."

Guo Jia was taken aback, and asked back: "Is he stupid? To fight Cao Cao? Even if Cao Cao's foundation is not stable, he will definitely be able to swallow Yanzhou?"

Zhen Yao chuckled lightly and said, "I don't know the exact reason, but Yuan Shu is so arrogant and extravagant that Nanyang has already been drained dry by him, and those gentry and wealthy families who have served Yuan Shu are now regretful. Taking Yanzhou, maybe he can present Xuzhou Let's double-team, and then swallow the wealthy Xuzhou."

It was ridiculous, Guo Jia lamented that this Yuan Gonglu really didn't have a big picture. After defeating Liu Biao, he didn't dare to fight anymore. Instead, he went to fight Cao Cao.

(End of this chapter)