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

Following the Qin system, the Han dynasty established the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, and the power of the prime minister once threatened the emperor's authority.

Since Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, ascended the throne, he was keenly aware of this point and weakened the power of the prime minister by constantly changing the candidates for prime minister.

The establishment of the Inner Court completely shattered the power of the prime minister, further concentrating power in the hands of the emperor.

The inner court officials included the Grand Marshal and the Left, Right, Front, and Rear Generals, as well as the Ministers, Attendants, Gentlemen-in-Waiting, various officials, Gentlemen-in-Waiting, and Doctors. They were directly appointed by the emperor and did not hold dedicated administrative positions. They corresponded to the outer court officials, who were headed by the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers.

Compared to officials in the outer court, officials in the inner court were more like a temporary measure, established temporarily to control the military and politics.

For example, military power in border prefectures has always been in the hands of the prefects, who have the power to make decisions on the spot. Once the court launches a large-scale military campaign, the Grand Marshal, the General-in-Chief, and the Generals with titles will once again unite the northern army and local border troops drawn from Chang'an.

This could be the entry point for Liu Ju to intervene in the border troops.

The Han Dynasty did not formally establish positions such as Protector of the Qiang, Protector of the Wuhuan, or Protector of the Xiongnu; there were only temporary positions such as Protector of the Qiang Envoy.

These border troops, who have long fought against the Qiang, Wuhuan, and Xiongnu, must be elite. By establishing border generals to control them, and even recruiting some Qiang, Wuhuan, and Xiongnu soldiers, why not do it?

Deng Xun, the Protector of the Qiang during the Eastern Han Dynasty, once adopted brave and strong young men from the Yuezhi and Lushui tribes in Huangzhong as his followers, calling them the Yicong Hu of Huangzhong, who roamed the western frontier.

"Your Highness."

Seeing Liu Ju deep in thought, Zhang He quickly called out to him.

"Um."

Liu Ju then came to his senses and looked at him: "Governing the more than 500,000 displaced people in Guandong requires a new agricultural administration office."

"The agricultural official must be knowledgeable in military affairs and capable of managing government affairs."

"I can't think of a suitable candidate right now."

Do you have any suggestions?

"Ugh!"

Zhang He was slightly taken aback, then replied, "Your Highness."

"The late champion, Marquis Jingheng, had a half-brother."

He entered officialdom through family connections, was selected as a court official, and repeatedly served as a court attendant, a charioteer, and a grand master of the palace.

"This person must be knowledgeable in military affairs and adept at politics."

"You mean Huo Guang?"

Liu Ju immediately thought of the corresponding person.

"Exactly."

Zhang He explained, "Huo Guang served as a court official in the army under the command of Marquis Jingheng when he was thirteen years old."

"Afterwards, he was transferred to various positions in different departments, and naturally he came into contact with various military affairs."

"After the death of the Marquis of Jingheng, the Emperor bestowed favors upon the Huo family, and Huo Guang was appointed as a Chamberlain and Commandant of the Imperial Carriage."

"He is now a Grand Master of the Palace, with a rank equivalent to two thousand shi, and is in charge of deliberations."

"He must have made considerable achievements in government affairs."

"That's definitely a good choice!"

Liu Ju understood Huo Guang's talents better than Zhang He did.

Historically, when Emperor Wu of Han was on his deathbed, he appointed Huo Guang as General-in-Chief and Grand Marshal, and together with Jin Midi, Shangguan Jie, and Sang Hongyang, he received the imperial edict to assist the young emperor.

Huo Guang held power for twenty years, during which he adopted measures to allow the country to recuperate and reduce taxes, enabling the Han Dynasty to recover its strength. This period is known to later generations as the "Restoration of Zhao and Xuan," and few people in the world could compare to him.

However, whether Huo Guang could be used by Liu Ju remains a question.

"Is Your Highness worried that Huo Guang cannot be of use to you?"

Zhang He noticed Liu Ju's worry.

"Um."

Liu nodded, neither confirming nor denying.

In 117 BC, Huo Qubing died, and Huo Guang was promoted to the position of Commandant of the Imperial Carriage and Grand Master of the Palace. He served Emperor Wu of Han and entered and exited the palace for more than 20 years. He was careful and cautious and never made a mistake. This is how he gained the trust of Emperor Wu of Han.

He is generally regarded as steady, taciturn, composed, cautious, and upright.

Such people are often the most difficult to subdue.

"Your Highness is overthinking it."

Zhang He shook his head and comforted Liu Ju: "Huo Guang is a member of the Huo family. In everyone's eyes, he is inseparable from the Huo family."

"The young Marquis is about to enter the Crown Prince's Palace for education, which is Your Highness's opportunity to win him over."

"I understand."

Liu Ju immediately realized what was happening and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He forgot that Huo Guang at that time was not the powerful General Huo of later generations, but just a minor official, a Grand Master of Ceremonies, who had risen to his current position thanks to the legacy of Huo Qubing.

Huo Guang had to treat Huo Shan with utmost care; otherwise, the people's hearts would be filled with righteous indignation, and even a single spit from each person could drown Huo Guang.

Under these circumstances, how could it be difficult for Huo Guang to join the Crown Prince's palace?

"The agricultural officials alone are not enough."

"Go to the Left Guard Commander and summon Zhang Bingyuan."

"Go and find Dongfang Qing, Tian Qianqiu, and Zhang Mian again."

After pondering for a while, Liu said he came up with four names.

"Your Highness."

Zhang He looked bewildered and said, "Zhang Bingyuan, I know him."

"But what about the remaining few people..."

Zhang Bingyuan was a descendant of Marquis Liu, a direct descendant of Zhang Liang in this generation. He had never even heard of the names of the other people.

"The attendant, Dongfang Qing, is the eldest son of Dongfang Shuo."

"Zhang Mian was the eldest son of Zhang Qian, the Marquis of Bowang."

"Tian Qianqiu, a high-ranking official who served at the mausoleum of Emperor Gaozu."

Liu explained them one by one.

"promise."

Although Zhang He was somewhat taken aback by the origins of these people, he still kept them in mind and respectfully went to carry them out.

Check-in!

After watching Zhang He walk out of the hall, Liu Ju began his sign-in for the day.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for successfully checking in! Reward: Saxon plow blueprints!]

"extract!"

With a thought, Liu Ju produced more than a dozen blueprints on the table, clearly depicting various components of the Saxon wheeled plow, including the plowshare, plowshare, plowshare, wheel, comb teeth, and lever.

The Saxon wheeled plow, also known as the European heavy plow, is hailed as a key element of the European medieval revival and played a leading role in the agricultural revolution.

Its purpose is to solve the problem of heavy, wet soil that is difficult to cultivate, not only in the Mediterranean coastal areas, but also in forests, swamps, grasslands, etc., by deep cultivation to remove plant roots and loosen the soil.

It is also equipped with a plow, which can create furrows (plowing furrows) while tilling the land, thus solving the problem of drainage in wet land in spring. The plowed furrows also provide an excellent irrigation and drainage system for waterlogged areas, and allow the soil to be fully aerated.

More importantly, it saves labor. Unlike a light plow, which requires crisscrossing back and forth to till the land twice, a heavy plow only needs to till once, yet its efficiency and quality far exceed those of a light plow.

Surrounded by eight rivers, Shanglin Garden had moist soil and lush vegetation, making it impossible to easily clear land with ordinary plows.

The advent of the Saxon wheeled plow undoubtedly solved this problem. One plow could cultivate at least 6 acres a day, and 5,000 plows could cultivate 30,000 acres a day. Within three months, 3 million acres of fertile land could be cultivated, just in time for the spring planting season.

Another point is that Saxon wheeled plows require four to six horses or eight oxen to drive.

Thanks to the improvements made during the reigns of Emperor Jing and Emperor Wu of Han, the horse administration of the Han Empire reached an unprecedented level of perfection. In addition, the continuous campaigns against the Xiongnu resulted in the plundering of a large number of horses, to the point that the price of pack horses was far lower than that of oxen for plowing.

An ox was priced at three thousand coins, while an ordinary warhorse was priced at four thousand coins, and a packhorse was priced between one thousand five hundred and two thousand five hundred coins.

"Someone come here."

"Give this item to my servant and have him arrange for a sample to be made as soon as possible."

Liu Ju immediately summoned his attendants and gave them instructions.

"promise."

The attendant hurriedly took the blueprints and handed them to the Crown Prince's servant, Wuqie.