The Great Han Dynasty: From Crown Prince Li to Emperor of All Ages!

"As the Crown Prince of the Han Dynasty, I should naturally share the burdens of the empire and relieve my father's troubles."

"I beg Your Majesty to grant me full authority to handle all matters concerning the displaced people."

Seeing that all the officials in the court had agreed with his proposal, Liu Ju seized the opportunity and spoke loudly.

"Your Majesty, please grant the Crown Prince's request!"

The officials present realized what was happening one by one and echoed in unison.

This group included not only Chancellor Shi Qing, but also high-ranking officials such as Grand Master of the Palace Gongsun He, Grand Minister of Agriculture Sang Hongyang, Junior Minister of the Imperial Household Wang Wenshu, and Imperial Censor Er Kuan.

"Excellent! What a fine prince!"

Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, clenched his fists tightly on his imperial bed, his veins bulging, his anger burning to its extreme.

If he still doesn't understand by now, then he is truly foolish; all of this is the result of his good son's scheming.

With over 500,000 refugees from Guandong, the Han court was simply unable to settle them. Crown Prince Liu Ju took the initiative to take on this hot potato and even offered a detailed solution. Tell me, which of the civil and military officials in the court would not support him?

The only one who would suffer a loss is the emperor, who has to give up even a royal garden like Shanglin Garden.

If he doesn't agree, he, as emperor, will inevitably be labeled as incompetent and, more importantly, as someone who doesn't care about the people.

"Draft an imperial edict!"

Emperor Wu of Han practically spat out those two words through gritted teeth.

"promise."

The eunuch waiting nearby quickly ground ink and picked up his brush.

"The Crown Prince is wise and benevolent, sharing the nation's burdens and relieving my troubles; I am greatly gratified!"

"The Crown Prince, the Minister of Agriculture, and the Minister of the Imperial Household Department are hereby appointed to jointly manage the affairs of the refugees from Guandong."

"promise."

Liu Ju, Sang Hongyang, and Wang Wenshu all came from the same family and received the imperial edict.

"Court adjourned!"

Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, didn't even glance at the assembled officials before storming out of the palace in anger.

Watching his departing figure, Crown Prince Liu Ju's lips curled into a slight smile: 'Father, you've lost again!'

The idea of ​​resettling displaced people and establishing military farms was first proposed and implemented by Emperor Wu of Han.

In the third year of the Taichu era (102 BC), Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, dispatched 180,000 soldiers to Juyan, Xiutu and other places to both cultivate the land and serve the country. The court established the Hou Nong Duwei (Hou Agricultural Commandant) and set up Nong Duwei (Agricultural Commandant) in relevant counties to be in charge of agricultural affairs. Under the Nong Duwei were agricultural officials at all levels, such as Nong Ling (Agricultural Magistrate), Bu Nong Zhang (Department Agricultural Chief), and Nong Ting Zhang (Agricultural Pavilion Chief).

The Cao Wei dynasty inherited and further developed this official position. Cao Cao established the position of Dian Nong Zhong Lang Jiang. The influence of this official system can be seen in the Tang dynasty's Fubing system and the Ming dynasty's Weisuo system, which had a far-reaching impact.

However, he brought up this proposal ahead of time, which became a testament to the wisdom and benevolence of the Crown Prince of the Han Dynasty.

What Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, did not know was that this measure, after being optimized by Cao Cao, formed a special management system independent of the prefectures and counties.

The Director of Agriculture was ranked at 2,000 shi (equivalent to a prefect), directly under the central government's Grand Minister of Agriculture, and not subject to the jurisdiction of local prefects. He could independently dispatch accounting officials, collect land rent, manage officials and people, and even equip himself with troops.

This system of military-civilian integration and vertical management is not only applicable to the frontier regions, promoting immigration and development, but can also be used in the central plains to solve the problem of local powerful families wantonly seizing fertile land, thereby ensuring food supply.

Through this method, the more than 500,000 refugees from Guandong could not only become a source of soldiers exclusively for the Crown Prince, but also further lay the foundation for the Crown Prince.

These agricultural officials were all skilled at governing their localities and could be appointed as officials in prefectures and counties in the future.

This is killing three birds with one stone!

"His Majesty has entrusted the matter of resettling the displaced people to Your Highness."

"The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Finance will certainly cooperate fully."

Grand Minister of Agriculture Sang Hongyang and Junior Minister of the Imperial Household Wang Wenshu stepped forward and greeted Liu Ju.

Ultimately, the Crown Prince has to provide the money and effort; they are just an add-on.

"I know."

Nodding slightly, Liu Ju said gently, "Once I have finalized the procedures, I will have someone deliver them to the Grand Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of the Imperial Treasury."

"promise."

Sang Hongyang and Wang Wenshu responded and left.

As the court session came to an end and the civil and military officials dispersed one after another, a new storm was spreading outward from the Xuan Shi Hall. It was clear to everyone that the Crown Prince had changed. He no longer just talked about the outdated ideas of Confucianism, but began to fulfill the responsibilities of the heir apparent and do practical things for the people.

..............

At 5:45 AM, in Chang'an, at the Gongsun residence in the eastern part of the city.

Upon returning to his residence, the Grand Master Gongsun He immediately summoned his eldest son, Gongsun Jingsheng.

"The Crown Prince's Palace was recruiting Left and Right Guards the other day. Where were you?"

Gongsun He stared at Gongsun Jingsheng with an unfriendly expression.

"Grandpa."

Gongsun Jingsheng said with some fear, "The day before yesterday, Shangguan Jie hosted a banquet."

"As a court attendant, it is inconvenient for me not to attend invitations from my colleagues."

"You bastard!"

Upon hearing this, Gongsun He flew into a rage and angrily shouted at Gongsun Jingsheng, "How could I have given birth to such a worthless creature!"

Gongsun Jingsheng never expected his father to be so angry. So what if he didn't go to the Crown Prince's palace to apply for a job? Is that such a big deal?

He was, after all, a Chamberlain, with a rank of 1,000 shi (a unit of grain), in charge of the emperor's carriage and clothing, serving at the emperor's side, participating in court affairs, and being a trusted and important minister of the emperor.

If one were to apply for a position at the Crown Prince's palace, at best one would only become a minor official, a Left or Right Guard Commander, with a salary of 800 shi (a unit of grain). What would that mean?

Do you know who the Crown Prince's Left and Right Guards are?

Gongsun Heqiang suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice.

"this...."

Gongsun Jingsheng spent the whole day drinking and having fun, and had no interest in what was happening in the Crown Prince's palace, so how could he know who the Crown Prince's left and right guards were?

"Zhao Anguo, the Left Guard Commander of the Crown Prince, is the son of Zhao Ponu."

"Shi Gao, the Right Guard of the Crown Prince, was the eldest son of Shi Gong, the Governor of Liangzhou, and the elder brother of Shi Liangdi."

"Wei Kang, Wei Buyi, and Wei Deng all served as captains in the Crown Prince's guard."

"Are you more noble than them?"

Gongsun He could no longer hold back; how could he have given birth to such a stupid and clumsy child?

"Huh?"

When Gongsun Jingsheng heard these names, he was quite surprised by the others, except for Shi Gao.

Zhao Ponu was Emperor Wu of Han's most trusted cavalry general and the only person in the Han army who could be used to deal with the Xiongnu. His eldest son had a bright future and could easily be placed in the army as a colonel, but he chose to go to the Crown Prince's palace to serve as a mere Left Guard Commander.

There were also the three sons of the Wei family, who had all previously been marquises with fiefs of 1300 shi (a unit of grain), and were addressed as "Lord Marquis" when they went out. Yet they were willing to serve as dubo (another unit of grain) in the Crown Prince's palace, a minor official with a meager salary of 400 shi, in charge of a hundred people.

Are these people all crazy?

"Most of the first batch of generals recruited by the Crown Prince's Palace were descendants of the eighteen founding marquises."

"These people come from families with deep-rooted academic traditions; they could rise to prominence with just one opportunity."

"Why do you think they're so eager to get into the Crown Prince's Palace?"

"Do you know what it means to have lost your chance to enter the Crown Prince's Palace?"

"Our family has missed the best opportunity to get close to the Crown Prince."

Gongsun He continued to curse angrily.

He became the emperor's brother-in-law and the brother-in-law of General Wei Qing by marrying Wei Junru, and his status rose accordingly.

From Grand Master of the Palace to General of Light Chariots, and then to General of Cavalry, he followed Wei Qing on expeditions against the Xiongnu. He was rewarded for his meritorious service in capturing the Xiongnu King and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Nanfu, with a fief of 1,300 households.

Even though he had three campaigns against the Xiongnu with the title of Left General and accompanied General Wei Qing from Dingxiang, all of which ended in failure, His Majesty still entrusted him with important responsibilities.

The mere position of Taipu, a sinecure in charge of the emperor's carriages and horses, is far inferior to being granted a title of marquis or general.

This relationship should have been applied to the Crown Prince, because the Crown Prince and Gongsun Jingsheng were cousins ​​by blood. Gongsun Jingsheng was also a cousin of the late Marquis of Jingheng, Huo Qubing. Unfortunately, Huo Qubing died young.

Once Gongsun Jingsheng enters the Crown Prince's palace, he will at least be a minister among the Nine Ministers when the Crown Prince ascends the throne.