Chapter 807 Luo Xianzhi, moved three times in three days!

The rumbling sound of the carriage disappeared at the corner of the street. Xie Daoyuan leaned against the dark door and looked out. She was dressed in plain clothes. Her skin was as white as snow and her eyebrows were as beautiful as a painting. In the setting sun, her face was slightly pink and crystal clear. Her waist was slender, which made her look unique and elegant.

"Son, go back."

Xie An called out to Xie Daojun with a smile on his face. Xie Daojun raised her face and showed a smile as delicate as an orchid, swaying and moving. It was a pity that Luo Xianzhi had never seen this beautiful scene.

Luo Xianzhi sat in the carriage, quietly thinking about what he would say when he met the emperor tomorrow. People often say that a son is more like his mother than his father, but this is not the case with Luo Xianzhi.

Both in appearance and personality, he and Luo Youzhi were almost cut from the same mold. He hid in Gusu and was unwilling to come to Jianye because he did not yet have the confidence and ideas to govern the State of Liang.

But now that he has decided to carry Jiangdong on his shoulders, he will let the entire Jiangzuo know what it means that a hero's father will have a hero's son, and that a good father will have a good son.

The sun rises.

It shines on the sparkling Yangtze River, on the bustling city of Jianye, and on the solemn and dignified Liang Palace.

I won't go to court today.

The emperor did not summon any of his subjects, so the palace was a little deserted.

Luo Xianzhi got off the car in front of the palace gate and, led by the imperial guards, hurried into the palace.

In just three days, Luo Xianzhi had come to the palace twice.

In this era, not to mention ordinary people, even officials in Beijing might never actually see the emperor in their entire lives.

The guards patrolling the palace came forward to check, and Luo Xianzhi took out the ivory plate, and he passed through unhindered.

When we entered the hall, we saw Emperor Xiao Yan wearing a cassock, twirling a string of Buddhist beads in his left hand and holding a Buddhist scripture in his right hand. The cover seemed to be the "Bodhi Sutra". Sandalwood incense was burning in the hall. The eunuchs and palace maids beside Xiao Yan were all in the shape of golden bodies, chanting something in unison.

Seeing this, Luo Xianzhi did not say anything, but just stood quietly under the top pillar. Xiao Yan took the initiative to stop chanting. The eunuchs and palace maids surrounding him were all very surprised. Since the death of Luo Youzhi, the Duke of Gusu, no one had been able to get His Majesty to stop chanting on his own initiative.

These shrewd people living in the palace all stole a glance at Luo Xianzhi without leaving a trace, and secretly remembered him in their hearts. He was indeed worthy of being the son of the former Duke of the County, and was indeed favored by the Emperor, far more than ordinary people.

Luo Xianzhi stepped forward, bowed, and said, "I, Luo Xianzhi, pay my respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be blessed with good health."

Xiao Yan smiled and asked: "Lingxiu, you can read Buddhist scriptures on weekdays. There are infinite truths in them."

Luo Xianzhi replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, I have read it, but not much. I often read "The Kingly System" and "The Kingly Way" written by my ancestors, and I feel that I always find it new."

Xiao Yan paused, shook his head helplessly and said with a smile: "You kid, your father also said the same thing to me back then. Tell me, what is the matter with entering the palace?"

Xiao Yan was a smart man. He could roughly guess what Luo Xianzhi was thinking since he came to the palace to look for him so early. He smiled and ordered, "Bring a chair to the Duke of Gusu. Lingxiu, please sit down and talk."

Luo Xianzhi said: "Your Majesty, I came to the palace this time to report that I am willing to accept the responsibility of the Minister of the Chancellery. Your Majesty is sincere and trustworthy, and I cannot fail to report it."

Seeing this, Xiao Yan couldn't help but laugh out loud. He waved his hand and said, "Okay, Lingxiu, I'm relieved to have you as the Shangshu Ling. But why did you suddenly change your mind? I know you didn't want to be the Shangshu Ling before."

Luo Xianzhi said respectfully: "I was just worried that Your Majesty would destroy the state system because of me, leading to an unpredictable outcome.

I originally wanted to take charge of major government affairs within a few years by making great achievements, so that there would be no disputes in the country.

But after thinking about it yesterday, I realized that this idea might not be appropriate.

Today, the world is in turmoil, and the nations are in conflict, all wanting to conquer the world. Especially the powerful Yan, which is fierce and hard to control. This is the time for our Daliang to rise.

At this critical moment, following the rules may lead to missing more opportunities. When moving forward bravely, you should not be too cautious. "

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan stood up and threw the scripture in his hand. The eunuch next to him quickly caught it. Xiao Yan laughed again and said, "I have found another prime minister who can bring peace to the people for myself and my descendants."

After that, he stared at the geomancy map hanging on the wall not far away and said, "Lingxiu, do you think that if I march north again, I can still achieve the same results as last time?"

Luo Xianzhi replied, "Your Majesty, I have not yet taken over the affairs of state, so I do not know the situation in the country. However, judging from the general situation in the world, I think Daliang will not have a chance to attack Han in the short term, because Yan will not march south in the short term. With Daliang's strength, it is very difficult to march north."

The light in Xiao Yan's eyes dimmed a little, and he sighed slightly, "Yan State is really the biggest obstacle for Daliang to unify the country. It has seized Jibei recently and is becoming more powerful. Once Yan State seizes all the land north of the Yellow River, it will be difficult for Daliang to unify the country."

The strength of Yan State was indeed the greatest among all the states. Although it did not have the largest population, it had the advantages of mountains and rivers, and the most powerful cavalry in the world.

After the army's combat effectiveness declined, they could still occasionally pull out those primitive tribes who ate raw meat and drank blood from the deep mountains and forests of Liaodong and make them become armored men.

The fighting power of these armored men is ridiculously strong.

When attacking the city of Jizhou, the armored men were always the first to go up, fearless and courageous.

However, Luo Xianzhi believed that "Your Majesty, although Yan is strong, it is not an opponent that Daliang should consider now. Among the four Central Plains countries, only Yan is not adjacent to Daliang. As the saying goes, make friends with distant countries and attack nearby ones. The alliance with Yan must continue. Otherwise, whether it is Wei or Han, it will be difficult to deal with Daliang."

Xiao Yan nodded solemnly.

If the four countries in the Central Plains are ranked according to national strength such as population and food supplies, the order should be Han, Wei, Yan and Liang. Han is the strongest, Wei and Yan are about the same, and Liang is the weakest.

If we calculate based on military strength, it should be Yan, Han, Wei and Liang. Yan is in a class of its own. After all, cavalry is extremely important when fighting on the northern plains. Yan had the most elite cavalry. After the grasslands were cleared, Yan got more safe land to raise horses. Three horses per person was already standard. The Han had more soldiers but was always suppressed because of this reason.

Liang State was basically the weakest, especially in terms of cavalry, which it had almost no cavalry. The cavalry in the country now were all obtained and trained by Xiao Yan when he went to the grassland to fight, as well as captured Hu cavalry, and the less they were used, the less they were used.

Relying on the weakest national strength, they were able to achieve exaggerated military results. It is conceivable how exaggerated the combination of Xiao Yan and Luo Youzhi was, and how much the national strength was increased. Of course, one of the reasons is that after the death of the first batch of generals, the Han Dynasty did not have any particularly outstanding generals.

It is easy to get an army but difficult to get a general. The fact that the Han army did not have enough generals was also one of the reasons for its successive defeats.

Today, the Han Kingdom is making full use of the traditional arts of the Han Dynasty——

The army is under the command of relatives by marriage.

Liu Chen's queen was from the Yang family of Taishan, an extremely old aristocratic family with a long history. After Yang Huiyu married Liu Chen, the Yang family prospered again. Her younger brother Yang Hu was very famous when he was young, and later rose rapidly in the Han Dynasty. After Yang Huiyu was canonized as queen, and the Yinghou lineage and the Lu family made great contributions in the conquest of the Hu people, the Yang family became more prosperous, and Yang Hu's official career became smoother. He was both civil and military, especially insightful in military affairs, so he was highly valued by Liu Chen.

In the early wars with Yan and Liang, Yang Hu made great contributions, especially when facing Liang. Xiao Yan could not gain any advantage under him. But Murong Ke of Yan suddenly emerged like a rare god of war, and defeated the other generals of Han. Only Yang Hu could go to resist. As a result, Xiao Yan began to win victory after victory in the south of Han.

This was the dilemma of the Han State. It was stronger than the Liang State, but there was the Yan State to the north, so it had to expend a lot of energy to maintain the Jizhou defense line.

In this way, Liang State would have enough room to maneuver when facing Han State.

Xiao Yan was well aware of the current situation in various countries, but when he turned around, he found that Luo Xianzhi did not look very worried, so he asked curiously: "Does Lingxiu have any good plan to defeat the enemy?"

Luo Xianzhi smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty, I have a question. At the end of the Zhou Dynasty, when the Warring States Period was in turmoil, why did the Qin State finally unify the world instead of the other Shandong states?"

Qin State!

Xiao Yan was surprised. He did not expect Luo Xianzhi to ask this question. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Because Qin is a country of tigers and wolves, and its rulers in every generation were all wise rulers, they were able to unify the world."

Luo Xianzhi nodded and shook his head after hearing this and said, "Your Majesty, you are also the heroic ruler of Jiangdong. Why are you confined to Jiangdong and cannot go north?"

Xiao Yan now knew that Luo Xianzhi had a reason for coming, so he smiled and asked, "Lingxiu, I can't keep you in suspense anymore. Tell me what you are thinking."

Luo Xianzhi smiled slightly and said, "The reason is very simple. The kings of the Shandong states that are able to compete with Qin are all incompetent. These incompetent kings like treacherous ministers. The treacherous ministers kill the capable and loyal ministers. Without their shields and armor, how can they survive in the era of great contention?

If the King of Qin had killed all the talents who helped Qin to prosper, if Qin Shihuang was a tyrant and killed Wang Jian, Li Si and others, especially Wang Jian, without Wang Jian, it would have been impossible for Qin to unify the Shandong states so quickly.

If Zhao had not killed Lian Po and Li Mu, it would not have collapsed so quickly. If Qi had not had a tyrant and a court full of treacherous ministers, it would have supplied Zhao with food and grass, and how could it have suffered such a disastrous defeat at Changping.

Each and every one of these are stupid things that a wise ruler like Your Majesty would never do, but monarchs of all countries have done them all.

How do they remain undefeated?

How could they not be defeated?

If we don't lose, that would be the greatest injustice in the world!

In the stalemate among nations, talent is the basis of everything. Your Majesty is already an outstanding and heroic ruler, and there is no room for improvement in this regard. Therefore, destroying the enemy country is the most crucial thing.

The role that a treacherous minister can play is greater than that of thousands of troops.

The Qin State often used counter-espionage tactics to instigate the Shandong states. We should learn from them. For example, Murong Ke of Yan State was indeed a man of both civil and military talents, with unparalleled talent, but so what?

In the past, many talented people from Shandong states finally surrendered to Qin. It is the king who decides everything, not the ministers. Especially the ministers with outstanding talents and the king who is suspicious and useless, they must die one day. "

hiss!

Luo Xianzhi's words taught Xiao Yan a good lesson almost instantly. At this moment, he realized that Luo Xianzhi was different from his father Luo Youzhi.

Luo Xianzhi and Luo Youzhi are indeed very different.

Luo Youzhi was a traditional prime minister who made the country stronger through good governance and by enriching the country and strengthening the army. In fact, Luo Youzhi was not particularly good at political struggles. After all, he could arrogantly say that both the gentry and the common people were his followers.

He relied on Xiao Yan's trust in him. No matter what happened, Xiao Yan would stand on his side. As a result, Luo Youzhi was able to remain in a high position and then realize his political ambitions. In terms of governance, he was top-notch. If the people below wanted to do anything bad, he would easily find it out.

But Luo Xianzhi is different, he likes to fight.

Xiao Yan did not think so much. He just pondered for a moment, then slowly said: "Lingxiu, but I see that among the monarchs of various countries today, none is particularly incompetent. I have seen Liu Chen, the emperor of Han, and he is an excellent ruler. The emperor of Wei, the people of Wei said that he is like Emperor Wu of Wei. I am afraid that the counter-espionage plan against this emperor is not so effective."

Luo Youzhi almost blurted out, "Xie An is capable and loyal, but you are also leaving him idle because you don't trust him."

But he restrained himself and said slowly: "Your Majesty, do you still remember the Jingnan Campaign in the pre-Han period mentioned in history books?

After the Jingnan Campaign ended, heroes of the Jingnan Campaign and Emperor Xiaoxuan of Han emerged throughout the world.

The heroes of the Jingnan Campaign proved their loyalty to the Han Dynasty.

Emperor Xiaoxuan of Han proved himself to be an emperor like the sage kings of ancient times.

But what is the relationship between the two?

Emperor Xiaoxuan of Han gave these heroes everything, including wealth, honor and hereditary succession, but not the most important thing.

If even Emperor Xiaoxuan of Han was like this, who else could be an exception?

Is Wei Emperor Cao Mao like Emperor Wu of Wei?

If he was really like Emperor Wu of Wei, then things would be simple, as Emperor Wu of Wei's suspicion was well known to the world.

Who could forget?

On that snowy night, Xun Lingjun committed suicide. He was the greatest contributor who had accompanied him all the way, but he ended up with such an ending.

The political arena of Wei has undergone many changes. Can Cao Mao really trust those ministers? "

As he gave examples and analyzed one thing after another, the light in Xiao Yan's eyes became brighter and brighter. He paced in the hall, and then said to Luo Xianzhi excitedly: "Lingxiu, you are really talented. How could I not think of these things?"

Luo Xianzhi smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty is the emperor, the king. Emperor Gaozu of Han was not as good as Xiao He in governing the country, not as good as Zhang Liang in making ingenious plans, not as good as Huaiyin Wumu Hou in leading troops to fight, and not as good as Ying Wenxian Hou in being all-round. But it was he who became the emperor. Your Majesty has repeatedly summoned me from Gusu to Jianye. This is what your Majesty is good at. And your Majesty's ability to lead troops is far better than mine."

Xiao Yan felt very comfortable after hearing these words. Luo Youzhi seldom said such words. Usually when Luo Youzhi met him, he would talk about how much tax was collected, how much money was spent, and how much food and fodder could be supplied.

Xiao Yan asked again with great interest: "Lingxiu, do you have any other good ideas? I find that your thinking is unique. If you have other ideas, please tell me more."

Luo Xianzhi hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to speak or not, but finally made up his mind and said, "Your Majesty, I do have something to say, which is about Daliang's unification of the world. If we can do it, the world will definitely belong to Daliang."

?

Luo Xianzhi's boasting shocked Xiao Yan. Who in ancient times dared to say this? Would he definitely unify the world?

He immediately sat down opposite Luo Xianzhi and asked urgently, "Lingxiu, tell me quickly, what method can definitely unify the world?"

Luo Xianzhi raised his eyes to the roof of the palace and asked slowly: "Your Majesty, why do you think a dynasty and a country will perish?"

Xiao Yan didn't expect Luo Youzhi to ask such a huge question right away, but Luo Youzhi had asked him this question before and gave the answer, "Your father also asked me this question before, and the final answer was that the people had no land to settle down, and eventually they couldn't pay taxes. They suffered too much corvee and military service, and finally these people would rebel, and then the country would be even less able to collect taxes. Without money, there would be nothing, and eventually it would perish."

Luo Xianzhi nodded. He knew these words were what his father, who was good at governing the country, said. For most prime ministers, their main role while in office was to make the country's financial and personnel systems correct.

Those who can achieve it are just famous ancient ministers, and those who cannot achieve it are just useless people.

But Luo Xianzhi has his own opinion.

He said slowly: "Your Majesty, my opinion is roughly the same as my father's, but what I want to ask is, why do these things always appear at the end of the dynasty?

This was true both in the early and late Han dynasties because the government was corrupt and the order of the court was at odds.

The pioneers who started a business always had to work hard. The second generation still knew how to work hard, but the third generation had already begun to become arrogant. The heroes who pacified the Han Dynasty were indeed loyal, but in terms of ability, only a few families such as the Lu and Han families were capable of taking on important tasks.

Needless to say, the royal children were all indulging in sensual pleasures. After the era of frugality was over, the entire imperial dynasty fell into the pursuit of extravagance. They pursued more gorgeous clothes and all big and beautiful things. A meal could cost an ordinary person's life savings.

How many things in the world can afford to be enjoyed by so many people?

I want to say.

Most of the countries today have reached this stage. Wei and Han have been established for decades. Wei has had five generations of kings, Han has had three generations of kings, and Yan has had two generations of kings. However, the history of Yan should be counted from the time when the Yan family was in power. Except for the change of emperors, there has been no change in Yan, and that is also five generations of kings.

The Five Dynasties, even the Zhou Dynasty, had reached the time when King Li of Zhou emerged. The Han Dynasty had Emperor Li of Han, and this was already a very dangerous period. "

Xiao Yan's face looked a little unhappy. He asked softly, "Lingxiu, you didn't mention Daliang. Is it true that Daliang is the same? It must be so. Murong replaced Yan, and my Xiao replaced Chu. It's the same principle."

There was no need for Luo Xianzhi to say anything. Xiao Yan certainly knew the customs of Jiangzuo. Being located in the south, it was naturally extravagant. Xiao Yan himself was a person who loved to enjoy life, not to mention other people. Of course, they would follow suit and become extravagant.

In Luo Xianzhi's view, this was a sign of the country's demise.

Xiao Yan asked curiously, "Lingxiu, why did your father never tell me this?"

Luo Xianzhi pondered and said, "It may be that my father has never paid attention to this aspect. He has his own ideas about governing. Jiangzuo Fuhua can allow him to plunder more money from the nobles to supply the country. Moreover, my father has always supported Your Majesty's Northern Expedition. He probably noticed this aspect and wanted to fight a quick battle and make a quick decision."

"A quick victory?"

Xiao Yan was even more curious, but now recalling it, it seemed to be true. When Luo Youzhi was in power, he was eager to fight the Northern Expedition. Basically, without harming the basic foundation of Liang State, he did his best to support his Northern Expedition and continued to fight the Northern Expedition. This was different from most civil officials.

Luo Xianzhi nodded and said solemnly: "It is precisely because of what I just said that there is no dynasty in this world that is not corrupt and decadent. If we cannot accomplish enough achievements during the reign of the wise ruler, then it is unknown what the future will be like.

If we cannot complete our great cause before the country's major policies become difficult to implement, it will be even more difficult to implement in the future. Your Majesty, I heard from people who came back from the north that some officials embezzled military rations, which led to our army's defeat. Have you ever thought about what we should do if there are more and more such officials in the future?

Why were the Shandong rebels able to capture Shandong with such great momentum at the end of the pre-Han Dynasty? The officials’ manipulation of the government led to Shandong’s unfavorable war preparedness, which is definitely a reason that cannot be ignored.

Although I, Daliang, am reluctant to admit it, even after eighteen years of rectification by my father, I still have not been able to curb this tendency. My father has put too much energy into suppressing the power of the gentry, and his energy is limited, so other aspects have to be ignored.

His Majesty.

I think my father must have told you this when he was in power.

Of course, the harm done by the nobles to the country is huge. They concealed the population, which prevented Daliang from fully launching the Northern Expedition. Therefore, he had to suppress the nobles with all his strength.

But I want to say that there is no completely useless class in this world, including the gentry.

The gentry naturally have positive significance, such as setting a benchmark. These people's pursuit of fame is a tool that Your Majesty can use.

Moreover, most of the nobles, in pursuit of fame, would regulate their behavior in many aspects. This is a kind of "arrogance of wealth" and "kindness of wealth."

I remember that in the classics of my clan, the people of the early Han Dynasty said a very classic saying, which was "If I had his wealth and status, I would be kinder than he is."

This sentence fully illustrates that these aristocratic classes with a long history only do extremely evil things, and generally do not do ordinary minor evils. It is not because they are more kind, but because it is not worth it, and the benefits are not proportional to the efforts.

This is not the case for the poor. They are still in the stage of primitive accumulation. In the future, they will become nobles with a long history and become decent people. However, in the stage of primitive accumulation, their methods have to be rough, and these rough methods will usually directly harm the people at the bottom.

What the lower-class people hate most is never the aristocratic families that control the country, but the clerks they can come into contact with in the village and the township. Just like during the Han Dynasty, most of the officials who died were directly facing the people. Those high-ranking officials were usually killed by the children of the Hundred Family and the children of my Luo family who traveled around the world. "

Xiao Yan frowned and said, "Lingxiu, do you mean to relax the suppression of the nobles and suppress the poor instead?"

Luo Xianzhi immediately shook his head and said, "Relaxation of the suppression of the gentry is the way to the destruction of the country. Even if Jiangzuo is not destroyed, Daliang will be directly replaced by these people. Suppressing the gentry is our Daliang national policy, and there must be no relaxation.

What I mean is that we should suppress both the gentry and the poor, including the grassroots clerks, and treat them cruelly. We should use far more methods than when my father was in power to deal with these people. Those who should be killed should be killed, those who should be demoted should be demoted, and those who should be exiled should be exiled. As long as enough people are dealt with, the administration of Daliang will be able to be peaceful, and the national strength of Daliang will be able to be maintained.

This is a worse world.

The Qin State had countless problems, and the people in the country were suffering. Even after Liu Bang finally conquered Guanzhong, the old Qin was excited to welcome Pei Gong. All the states in Shandong had people who wanted to restore their countries, but only the Qin State did not. The old Qin people were overjoyed to change dynasties, but in the end it was the states in Shandong that were destroyed.

The only reason is that the upper class and aristocracy of Shandong states were too rotten. If Qi had had a few generations of wise rulers, with Qi's foundation and national policies, Qin would not have been able to take over the world in the end.

If Daliang wants to gain control of the world, we must do better than the other countries. When they are rotting, as long as we can maintain political integrity, the final victory will be ours. "

Xiao Yanren was a little confused. What Luo Xianzhi told him today was something he had never heard of or seen before. In the history books, what did all the wise ministers and emperors say?

As long as Your Majesty cultivates virtue and employs wise ministers, the world will naturally be governed well. Your Majesty has received the Mandate of Heaven, so of course you will be able to rule the world.

As long as Your Majesty emphasizes benevolence and righteousness, you will naturally gain the support of people all over the world.

This is the truth that the Confucian sage Mencius said: those who are righteous have many supporters, while those who are unrighteous have few supporters.

Almost all of them were like this. Even Luo Youzhi, whom he trusted the most, said so. He told him to select talents well, employ talents, and govern the country, and he would naturally get everything.

This has been the kingly way since ancient times.

But what Luo Xianzhi said now sounded very...

Xiao Yan didn't know how to evaluate what he heard.

Instead of improving yourself, you discredit others.

Instead of taking the trouble to select talents, it is better to use strategies to destroy the talents of the enemy country.

There was no mention of paving the way for the poor to rise, nor was there any mention of asking the gentry to actively protect the country, but instead, severe crackdowns were made on illegal activities among them.

Especially the last one, instead of working hard to improve oneself, waiting for the enemy country to rot, this method is simply unheard of and unseen.

But it really makes sense.

Xiao Yan felt that there might be something wrong with him, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt that there was nothing wrong with him. The one with the problem was Luo Xianzhi.

He looked at Luo Xianzhi, who was talking and laughing in front of him, with a very complicated look.

Luo Xianzhi was naturally very handsome, with a refined temperament. He was obviously a well-read man, with fair skin, and even his fingernails were clean.

At first glance, he is obviously a sincere gentleman. Although he is still young and has not even put on an adult hat, he does not have the slightest bit of boyishness. Instead, he has the demeanor of a famous scholar.

But who could have known that the smiling Luo Xianzhi would come up with these suggestions?

Xiao Yan had a good relationship with the Luo family, so he didn't hold back and asked directly: "Lingxiu, what are the origins of your thoughts? Although I don't know much about the Luo family, but probably the legendary Luo family respects those famous families, and then the famous families support them, right?

I remember that in the early Han Dynasty, the Luo family was the leader of many famous families, and in the later Han Dynasty, it was even more so. Luo Zichuan, the role model of the world, was the leader of the noble families. "

This is why Xiao Yan didn't understand the Luo family. Luo Xianzhi certainly knew that he was not the only one like this in the Luo family, but many of his ancestors before him just did it without saying it.

But the situation I face is different from that of my ancestors, so I can only speak it out.

He slowly put away his smile, thinking of making up some excuses, but he felt that there was no need to make them up completely. He stared at Xiao Yan and said slowly with some emotion: "Yes, Your Majesty, it was indeed like this in the past.

However, given the situation in Daliang, if you want to seize the world, you cannot use the pure kingly way. The kingly way is to hurt others with your own strength. If Daliang had the national strength of Yan now, I would recommend Your Majesty to promote the way of benevolence and righteousness, and treat every noble official and common people in the country with tolerance.

But I am not Daliang.

If Yan unified the north, it would be difficult for Daliang to even defend its territory unless it could rule the entire south of the Yellow River. I don't know whether Yan can unify the north, but Yan's chances of unification are much greater than Wei's.

After Yan State has absorbed the land of northern Ji in a year or two, it will definitely launch a battle for Hedong. With Murong Ke around, Wei State will most likely not be its opponent. Having lost Hedong, Wei State will sooner or later die facing Yan State.

The Heluo area would be difficult to defend. At that time, even if the kingly way was implemented, Daliang could not be preserved.

My ancestor was the monarch of the State of Luo. The State of Luo practiced the kingly way for so many years, but in the end it was defeated by the State of Qin because of the huge gap in national strength. The kingly way alone is not enough.

Daliang must seize the opportunity and take over the entire area south of the Yellow River before we have the qualifications to talk about the future. Han and Wei are our main opponents. Destroying them is a long-term plan, including destroying Yan, which we must start doing now. Although we have formed an alliance with Yan, spies should start spreading rumors in Yan now. In addition, all kinds of rare treasures, beautiful women and luxury cars of Liang should be sent to monarchs and nobles of various countries to let them indulge in sensual pleasures.

Cleaning up the country is the top priority. My father's previous management method has almost reached its limit. It is difficult to continue to increase the revenue of the national treasury through the current method. What we need to do now is to maintain it, and then start to investigate the illegal activities in the country, and use killing to deter the grassroots officials, so as not to let the people fall into a situation where they cannot survive. "

Luo Xianzhi's words seemed much more normal, at least much more normal than before. Xiao Yan roughly knew what Luo Xianzhi was going to do. He only had one last question left, "Lingxiu, I always have a feeling, do you think your father left a lot of problems? I want to say something for your father. Qingyun is the most talented person I have ever seen in my life. He is my best prime minister. Without Qingyun to sit behind me, I would not have achieved my current achievements. I don't even dare to go to the grassland."

Luo Xianzhi was stunned.

Xiao Yan's expression was very serious. He really missed the time when he worked with Luo Youzhi. At that time, Xiao Yan felt that he was omnipotent. It was nothing like now. There was obviously no difference from before, but he was constrained by the current situation of Liang State and could not do anything. So he missed Luo Youzhi more and more.

Luo Youzhi is the one who can prosper himself.

He said with a bit of a smile: "Your Majesty, how could you think like this? That is my father, the person I admire most in my life. How could I be dissatisfied with my father?

There has never been a perfect government in this world. During the Zhou Dynasty, Guan Zhong of Qi prospered Qi but caused it to be too focused on commerce. Jin became powerful but led to the rise of the nobles. My ancestor Duke Wen's reforms were the most perfect, but they still failed to change the root cause. Duke Xuan's reforms allowed the princes to become even more powerful. When King Luo Wen came to power, the powerful people among the people also recovered. This is all inevitable.

I am now in the second phase of my administration, and my goal is to address the issues that occurred during my father's administration and to ensure that his policies are implemented more smoothly. That's all."

I see!

Xiao Yan also reacted. How could the Luo family, a family that attaches so much importance to filial piety, make such a mistake?

He once again recalled the many words that Luo Xianzhi had said after entering the palace this time. These words seemed a bit problematic when heard individually, but when put together, he could feel that Luo Xianzhi obviously had his own logic, and this logic was the result of his careful consideration for a long time.

Xiao Yan's eyes looked at the desk above him, on which were placed the last words left to him by Luo Youzhi. The two men were unable to see each other for the last time. Luo Youzhi wrote on a piece of paper before his death. One of the words was that when appointing a Shangshu Ling, one should choose someone who can be consistent, and not choose those who can only serve as deputies to carry out executions.

Now it seems that Luo Xianzhi is such a person.

"Lingxiu, you are even better than I thought. You are worthy of being Qingyun's son. With a son like you, Qingyun is indeed above the nine heavens. I can be relieved. Unlike me, my sons are useless. Alas.

You are right. I should try my best to do more things while I am still alive, otherwise I don’t know what will happen to Daliang in the future.

Lingxiu, I will issue the appointment of Shangshu Ling as soon as possible, and you will take over immediately. Do you have any ideas about how to govern in the future?"

Luo Xianzhi bowed deeply and said, "Your Majesty, I have a rough idea. In recent years, I have not only studied in Gusu, but also traveled to various places in Jiangdong. I have a good understanding of the current situation in the country and know where to start."

After receiving Luo Xianzhi's answer, Xiao Yan nodded and said, "That's good. You can go back to your house. In the next few days, I will send the decree to your house."

Luo Xianzhi bowed again and left the palace. Walking in the palace and looking at the towering buildings, Luo Xianzhi felt that the landscape of Gusu was better. He had wanted to live among the mountains and rivers of Gusu all his life, but in the end, the surname Luo made him leave there and go to Jianye.

This majestic imperial palace! Next time when I come to court, I will no longer be an idle person without an official position, but the Minister of the Chancellery.

From an unemployed person, he suddenly became the Minister of the Chancellery. In the Liang State today, he is the only one.

Luo Xianzhi lowered his head and spread out his hands. The lines on his fingers were clearly visible and the joints were distinct. Could he hold the entire Liang State in his hands?

Can you achieve what your father achieved?

Luo Xianzhi was asking himself, no one knew the result, not even himself.

Do your best and accept your fate, that’s all.

…

On the third day after Luo Xianzhi came to Jianye, the news finally spread throughout the entire powerful circle of Jianye. Luo Youzhi's son came to Jianye, which was definitely huge news.

Xie was still waiting for news from the palace, and based on the news and Luo Xianzhi's will, she would decide how to announce his arrival to the entire Jianye.

The entire Jianye City was flooded with this news. At almost every gathering, people were wondering what official position the emperor would give to Luo Xianzhi. A few people guessed that it would be the sixth rank. The most likely position was the compilation of national history. This job was noble and easy to achieve results. It was also Luo's forte. Compiling the history of the Chu State was a big job now. After all, most people's ancestors had served as officials in the Chu State. This job was not an easy one.

But most people believed that given the relationship between the emperor and the former Duke of Gusu, a sixth-rank official was absolutely impossible. The emperor would most likely make a small exception and grant Luo Xianzhi a fifth-rank official position, making him directly the main official in charge of revising the history books of the Chu State.

In other words, he could join the Imperial Guards, so that he could make meritorious contributions when leading Luo Xianzhi into battle, and then he could be promoted directly after returning.

These people are indeed quite idle. They not only guess at official positions, but also think about future promotion paths.

But I still guessed wrong.

If it weren't for the military defeat, perhaps Xiao Yan would have given Luo Xianzhi a fifth-rank official position, and then let him quickly make achievements and be promoted, and step by step make him the prime minister. Even if he couldn't become a real prime minister, then the position of Three Dukes in charge of the Secretariat would be enough.

However, the military defeat stimulated Xiao Yan and ultimately led to the current result.

The powerful people in Jianye City finally understood what shock meant, whether they were high-ranking officials or aristocratic families.

"Imperial decree: Luo Xianzhi, born into a famous family, a descendant of loyalty and integrity, has the title of Duke of a county, is noble and divine. When I go to Chenxing, he will be given a high position and be assisted by him. I grant him the title of Minister of the Secretariat."

This was the first imperial edict issued by Xiao Yan. No one expected that he would enter the Secretariat. Many people thought that the Shangshu Ling was a mundane matter, and only positions like Shangshu Ling and Zuo Pushe were worth doing.

Just one day later, another imperial edict came from the palace.

"Luo Xianzhi, the official in charge of the Secretariat, has a noble character, which I am very pleased with. The Duke of a county has a high rank and has made many sacrifices. I have promoted him to the position of Shangshu You Pushe."

Most people have been deceived. How could he be directly appointed as Shangshu You Pushe? It would be better to directly award him the title of Shangshu Ling!

Another day.

"Luo Xianzhi, the Right Minister of the Secretariat, is both civil and military, with extraordinary talents and wisdom. I am very pleased with the strategies he has proposed. Daliang has such a great talent, and it is time to promote him to the position of Minister of the Secretariat. I hereby announce this."

boom!

Give an order,

Jianye is shocked!

————

Luo Xianzhi, courtesy name Lingxiu, inherited the title of Duke of Gusu County at the age of seventeen. Xian was like his father, quite strong-willed, and would often reprimand his subordinates. He was more powerful than all the other officials. When a noble violated the law, the rules of the time would tolerate it. Xian said, "You are the most sacrificed. I kill you, not because I hate you, but because I want to uphold the law of the country and tell your ancestors to sacrifice themselves."

He was then executed, and Jiangzuo was in uproar and speechless. A local proverb says: "Jiangzuo is intelligent and graceful, and its might is the justice of heaven."

This is where his iron face began. - "History of the Southern Dynasties: The Family of the Duke of Gusu"

(End of this chapter)