Chapter 344 Luoyang
Luo Jing brought a luxurious delegation with him on this trip. Not counting the generals, there were dozens of officials handling other affairs alone. As for the army, it was even more fully prepared.
As the only descendant of the Luo family currently walking in the world, he has 200 brave warriors protecting him personally. The strict selection of brave warriors is well known to the world. Each of them is a brave warrior who can ride and shoot on horseback, and charge and fight on foot when dismounted.
Not counting the auxiliary troops, Liu Heng equipped Luo Jing with 800 palace guards alone as combat soldiers. These 800 people were all from the northwestern counties of Guanzhong and were warriors skilled in archery and horse riding.
If anything goes wrong with these thousand men, equipped with complete armor, bows and crossbows, and three horses per person, Liu Heng will really have to give a great credit to the Chehou who just returned to Chang'an.
There was one man and three horses. Although they were not in a hurry to travel and just let the horses walk at a normal speed, they were still going very fast, and dust was flying above the straight road.
The towering mountains on one side kept disappearing in everyone's sight. Luo Jing looked at the tall peaks, the lingering clouds, and the towering ancient trees. He became curious about how magnificent the mountains would be if the clouds dissipated.
"Sir, we have entered the Qiao-Han Passage. Once we get out of here, the road will be smooth."
Luo Jing did not go through Wuguan and go to Nanyang on this trip. Instead, he followed the ancient road, went out of Hanguguan, traveled by land through the old land of the Three Jins, and then to the land of Qi and Chu.
Luo Jing heard this and said, "When we get to Luoyang, we will take a good rest. We will also gather some people in Luoyang. I want to ask them some questions."
The delegation traveled eastward and soon entered Henan County and arrived in Luoyang, where the Yi and Luo Rivers surrounded this fertile land.
Luo Jing looked at the towering city at the end of his sight, and said proudly to the accompanying court officials: "Gentlemen, look.
This majestic Luoyang City was built by my ancestor King Su a thousand years ago. Even today, it is still one of the largest cities in the world.
It is called Luoyang because of the Luo River, and my surname was also born because of the Luo River. When I come here, I have to worship the god of the Luo River. "
As soon as Luo Jing said this, many of the accompanying officials couldn't help but feel jealous. We don't even know the name of our great-grandfather, and you can actually tell us about things that happened a thousand years ago.
Is it great if it has a long tradition?
Can you show off in front of us just because you have a long history?
Although they were envious or jealous, everyone still said, "We should offer sacrifices."
Then he heard Luo Jing say, "During the time of our ancestor Duke Ping, our ancestor Lingjun took over the government. She never married and after her death, she became a spirit to serve the Su King. Together with Concubine Mi, she is the god of the Luo River. You must be respectful. If you are disrespectful, don't blame me for the sharpness of my sword."
Everyone was awed when they heard this, except for a few people who were originally from the old land of Luo State. Everyone else was shocked. They didn't expect that such a thing could happen.
These are legends from the Bang Zhou period, and many people do not know about them. The Luo family also did not publicize them on a large scale. However, Luo Jing has decided to publicize the deeds of his ancestors in the coming years and make sure that the world knows about them.
The top position in people's hearts is so small. If you don't occupy it, others will occupy it. Just like the supreme status of the King of Su, if there is no King of Su, there will be others. It is better to let the King of Su occupy it.
Luo Jing ordered everyone to build a high platform for sacrifice on the banks of the Yi and Luo rivers, and then took out the offerings from the army and held a sacrifice on the banks of the Yi and Luo rivers.
As soon as this sacrifice was held, the atmosphere of the entire team changed. The most important affairs of a country are war and sacrifice, and sacrifice has always been one of the most effective ways to boost morale and cohesion.
After Luo Jing offered sacrifices to Ji Lingjun, he led the delegation to the city of Luoyang. There were a lot of people coming in and out, especially traveling merchants, who hardly stopped for a moment. It seemed that all the merchants in the world gathered here.
Of course, in fact, it is almost the same. Luoyang, Handan, Linzi, Wancheng and Zhaocheng were the most prosperous commercial cities in the past and were quite rich. Merchants from all over the world could earn huge fortunes by traveling back and forth between these cities. On the contrary, Guanzhong is a bit remote, and because the Qin State in the past overly emphasized agriculture over commerce, there were fewer traveling merchants.
Although Chang'an was the capital of the Han Dynasty, in fact, Luoyang was richer, at least at this time, because the Han royal family attached no less importance to Luoyang than Chang'an. As the capital of the Zhou Dynasty for nearly 800 years, it was also believed that there was the presence of the emperor's aura here.
Luoyang was built with huge stones and earth blocks, with layers of buildings. The city walls were high and thick, and the moat outside the city was wide and deep. The water from the Yi and Luo rivers flowed into it. Under the sun, it was extremely dazzling. It was the pearl city of the entire Shandong Province.
Since there are large-scale arsenals and granaries in Luoyang and its surrounding areas, it is an important place leading to Guanzhong. Once the rebels control Luoyang and then attack in all directions through the various passes in Luoyang, Guanzhong will be defeated without even a fight.
Therefore, in the Han Dynasty, this place was not granted to any minister, not even the prince, and the soldiers guarding it were also extremely elite.
The governor of Henan led the officials of Henan and Luoyang to pay respect to Luo Jing. "I pay my respects to you, my lord. May you be well and healthy."
Luo Jing did not move. The brave warriors turned over and dismounted. Their right hands grasped the hilts of the swords on their left waists. A fierce aura emanated from them. They took a few steps forward and said in a deep voice, "Your Excellency, please order all the county soldiers to disarm and lay down their weapons."
The Henan County Magistrate's face changed when he heard this, and he was a little flustered. He didn't expect that he had neglected this point. He said repeatedly: "My Lord, I was negligent. Please forgive me."
After saying that, he ordered the county soldiers to take off their armor and retreat. The brave warriors then slowly retreated, but still protected Luo Jing behind them, always paying attention to their surroundings, as if there were any hidden arrows to hurt people. The guards then rode into the city on horseback and took over all defenses within a few hundred meters.
Luo Jing then said calmly: "Please don't blame me, my lord. I am carrying out the emperor's order to deter evil spirits. It is a matter of great importance and I cannot afford to be negligent. If I have offended you, please forgive me."
Luo Jing's actions indeed made the officials of Henan County shocked and suspicious. He was too cautious, as if someone was trying to assassinate him.
If an ordinary person did this in front of them, they would have been angry a long time ago. This was a naked distrust of them. Even if it was another member of the Luo family, the Henan County Magistrate was not prepared to tolerate it.
But when facing Luo Jing, he could only endure it. The son of King Luo Wen, the most trusted minister and cousin of His Majesty the Emperor, and the second generation with the strongest connections in the entire Han Dynasty was the man in front of him. Even if there was a crown prince, before he ascended the throne, he might not be as good as this one.
Thinking of this, the governor of Henan County said hurriedly: "Your Excellency has a great responsibility, and I know this, so how dare I blame you?"
Luo Jing glanced at the officials in Henan County. Most of them bowed their heads and stood still, looking very obedient, but he knew that this was all appearance.
It has been several decades since the founding of the Han Dynasty by Liu Bang, and the world has been peaceful for several decades. However, during these peaceful times, the corruption of officials was very fast.
Luo Jing dared to guarantee that among the dozens of officials in front of him, there would definitely be omissions if half of them were killed. It was likely that there were few corrupt officials among these people. After all, those who could become such high-ranking officials were basically from wealthy families.
However, there were definitely people who seized the people's land for the sake of their family's interests or participated in crimes, because he saw with his own eyes how many people Luo Xin had demoted and exiled for this.
Luo Xin has always attached great importance to the administration of officials. He once said: "Administration of officials is the foundation of the world. If the administration of officials is corrupt, the talents and policies that benefit the country will eventually become laws that harm the people. If the administration of officials is strict and the ancient methods are followed, great order can be achieved."
All policies in the world depend on human implementation. No matter how good the policy and the original intention are, as long as those below want to ruin it, there is always a way to do it. This is what is called "there are policies from above and countermeasures from below."
Especially in the Han Dynasty, Luo Xin fully realized that it was unrealistic for the imperial court to strictly control local governance, and that each locality must formulate its own policies based on local conditions within the larger framework of the imperial court.
This gives the local governments considerable power. This approach has both advantages and disadvantages. When a strongman like Luo Xin is in power, local officials are trembling with fear and of course dare not go too far. However, once the court does not have a prime minister who can coordinate the overall situation, the local governments will let themselves go.
Luo Jing thought about this as he entered Luoyang City, surrounded by brave warriors and imperial guards. Officials from Henan County followed closely behind him.
Looking at the imperial guards with swords and spears and wearing cold armor, as well as Luo Jing's somewhat immature but extremely serious face, his heart couldn't help but tremble, not knowing what this minister in front of him wanted to do.
After entering Luoyang City, Luo Jing went straight to the Luo family's mansion here.
Yes, the Luo family has always had a mansion here, which has been passed down from the Bang Zhou period. It has been renovated several times. After the Qin Dynasty was destroyed and the Han Dynasty was established, Liu Bang returned many things that once belonged to the Luo family.
(End of this chapter)
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