Chapter 444: Soul-touching Questions
The traces of the brave warriors were too obvious, especially since they were not concealed at all.
In the Han Dynasty, a tiger seal was required to mobilize an army of more than 50 people, except for the private armies of marquises and princes. However, private armies were not allowed to leave the marquisate except to follow their lord into battle in times of war.
So in essence, private armies still need the emperor's order to appear on Han territory.
The Warriors are the only private army that can legally appear anywhere in the Han Dynasty.
Of course, there are restrictions on the warriors. For example, they cannot wear armor when entering Guanzhong. For example, they have to report every five miles when entering Chang'an and surrounding counties. They must be accompanied by officials from the court to supervise the warriors' armor. In addition to swords, they are not allowed to carry high-powered weapons such as lances, bows and crossbows.
Without armor, lances, and bows and crossbows, not to mention that the warriors are just mortals after all, even if they are spiritual soldiers, their combat effectiveness will be reduced by 80%.
Therefore, the Luo family was unwilling to bring brave warriors into Chang'an unless necessary.
Although there are many restrictions in Chang'an, there are no restrictions for brave warriors in Guandong. They are fully armored, equipped with lances, bows and crossbows, and ride three horses at a time, which seems very ostentatious to outsiders.
Luo Sheng left Guanzhong and headed straight for Nanyang County, one of the most important counties of the imperial court.
During the Han Dynasty, except for the counties in Guanzhong, the political status of the counties in Guandong was completely different. It was mainly divided into political status and economic status. The source of these statuses was mainly the geographical location of the counties.
For example, the counties and kingdoms in Lingnan and Liaodong were both marginal interest areas that the Han court could abandon at any time. Within the Central Plains, the geographical location of Nanyang County was too important.
This place connects the north and the south and is one of the most important fulcrums of the north-south defense line.
By occupying Nanyang, one could threaten Guanzhong and Luoyang, cutting off the east and west and the north and south. Emperor Gaozu achieved his great cause by occupying Nanyang and then breaking into Guanzhong.
Since Emperor Gao, this place has been managed by the royal family. Later, they felt that they could not manage it well, after all, Nanyang County was outside the Great Wall, so they began to enfeoff princes. However, the princes were also not at ease, so they kept changing kings. Some princes who were stripped of their countries were also moved to Nanyang County.
This resulted in Nanyang County being the county with the largest number of Liu clan members among the dozens or hundreds of counties in the Han Dynasty, and its genealogy was very complex.
There are Liu Bang's brothers, nephews and nephews, and Emperor Xiaohui's brothers, nephews and nephews. Not to mention Emperor Xiaowen and Emperor Xiaowu. These two emperors had many sons, and of course some of them lived in Nanyang County.
The advantage of doing this is that if only one member of the Liu clan occupied Nanyang County, the emperor might not feel at ease, but with so many members of the Liu clan in Nanyang County, they are dissatisfied with each other and can fight each other, so the emperor will be as stable as a rock. Moreover, the Liu clan members guarding Nanyang County are a good shield.
The disadvantages were obvious. There were too many royal nobles, and even the county magistrate had to act according to the emperor's mood. When Sang Hongyang's tax collection method came out, the officials of Nanyang County were very anxious, and he did not dare to touch those big businessmen at all.
If it were one or two royal nobles, the county magistrate of two thousand stones would naturally not be afraid. After all, those who could sit in this position had their own factions and forces.
However, only the most idealistic and power-fearing county magistrate would dare to offend a group of royal nobles in order to collect taxes. Even the most stubborn Meng Ru, not everyone dares to do so.
It was obvious that the prefect of Nanyang County was not a man who was not afraid of power, so he chose to use people like Wang San to fill the hole.
Nanyang County is one of the richest counties, and relying on small and medium-sized merchants like Wang San is enough to deliver a satisfactory answer.
But what he didn't expect was that Master Sheng actually came to the county!
…
Luo Sheng investigated very quickly, and after confirming the facts, he soon met the Nanyang County Magistrate, an official of the imperial court with an official rank of two thousand stones, at the county seat of Wancheng County.
This was a middle-aged man with a righteous face and a dignified appearance. Even when facing Luo Sheng, although he was afraid, he still forced himself to control his expression.
"This minister has met Master Sheng."
Nanyang County Magistrate Lou Huai bowed and asked directly, "Sir, you have come to Nanyang County with great ceremony, but is there anything important?"
Upon hearing this, Luo Sheng said coldly: "Doesn't Magistrate Lou know why I came here?
Do you think you can hide what you did in Nanyang County from everyone in the world?"
Lou Huai's pupils shrank, knowing that the thing he was most worried about had really happened, but his reaction was far beyond Luo Sheng's expectations. He did not kneel down and beg for mercy, but asked in return, "Mr. Sheng, what does this have to do with you?"
Luo Sheng was stunned. What does this have to do with me?
Lou Huai asked with a puzzled look on his face: "If I remember correctly, this is the internal affairs of our Han Dynasty. You are just a son of a vassal state. What qualifications and position do you have to question a suzerain state's two thousand stone minister about internal affairs?
A general goes to war, a prefect goes to govern, the inner vassal princes guard the world, the outer vassal princes protect the emperor, you are now usurping the throne and taking charge of the government affairs of Nanyang County, is this appropriate?"
His words made Luo Sheng stunned. He put away his previous thoughts and took a serious look at the county magistrate in front of him for the first time.
Luo Sheng said in a deep voice: "When there is injustice in the world, even an ordinary man can draw his sword and rise up."
Lou Huai smiled and said, "If that's the case, you can send your brave warriors to attack. I am the governor of the Han Dynasty and have the power to mobilize all military and political affairs in Nanyang County. Anyone who draws a sword is a rioter and can be killed."
Luo Sheng looked at Lou Huai, then said, "You are very unusual. Is this the madness before death?"
Hearing Luo Sheng's words, Lou Huai shuddered and forced a smile, "These are just some thoughts that have been buried for a long time. I am a parasite of the Han people, but I was not born this way. I was once a young man full of ideals."
After saying that, he ignored Luo Sheng and continued speaking, "Mr. Sheng, if King Luo Wen was standing here, I would never say this.
King Luo Wen has devoted his life to the country and has done his best for it. Even someone like me would not dare to speak disrespectfully to him.
But since the death of King Luo Wen, people all over the world can see that the Luo family is actually staying out of the Han Dynasty.
Whether you are the Marquis of Dong'a, the contemporary Duke Zhao, or the current Grand Protector, you do not consider yourselves as Han people.
If that’s the case, why did he show up in Dahan?
What does the rise and fall of the Han Dynasty have to do with your family?
Wouldn't it be enough to stay in Zhaocheng and enjoy all the wealth and glory?
What does the people of the Han Dynasty have to do with you? Our Han Dynasty’s affairs will naturally be handled by us.
Even if it is for the benefit of the various Xia states, does the Zhaogong Kingdom still want to interfere in the internal affairs of the various Xia states in a rude manner?
The Luo Kingdom in the past was not so overbearing. "
Luo Sheng's face changed drastically after hearing these words. He stood up and said, "How ridiculous this is! All the states are united as one, and the Han Dynasty is the foundation of the world..."
Lou Huai asked anxiously: "Is there anything in this world that can achieve both?
Even if I am a great threat to the Han Dynasty, can you, Master Sheng, just stay out of it?
In the past, Luo saved the Zhou Dynasty from collapse and assisted the Zhou royal family with all his heart to maintain the destiny of the Zhou Dynasty. Although people in the world thought he was stupid, they admired him very much.
Even though the Luo family is now wholeheartedly considering the interests of the Chinese people, please open your eyes and see that the Chinese people are above you, and ninety-nine percent of the people in the world are Han people.
The Luo family is unwilling to work hard for the Han Dynasty, but they also interfere in everything. When the Han Dynasty was just established, there might be no problem, but after a hundred years of the Han Dynasty, the Luo family suddenly appeared. Hey, where did they come from? "
gap!
Luo Sheng really wanted to say that these were all crooked ways, but what he said was too reasonable. There is no such thing as having the best of both worlds.
The Luo family must either integrate into it or stay out of it. Otherwise, as time goes by, the Han people will gradually form a community and more and more people will exclude the Luo family.
The Chu people and Luo people who migrated to Guanzhong in the past are now indistinguishable from the original Qin people.
Because of the barriers, the unfamiliarity, and the huge differences, there is no empathy. However, the only advantage of the various countries is their common beliefs, which ensures that the country will not be divided.
However, the barriers between regions are already serious, not to mention the barriers between countries.
Living in Zhaocheng and controlling the world remotely, this is the strategy formulated after turning the country into a home.
It was implemented very well during the Luoling period, which was the honeymoon period between the Luo family and the Han Dynasty. However, the family heads after Luoling were not very good at politics and implemented this policy somewhat mechanically.
The Luo family gradually drifted away from the political arena of the Han Dynasty, and at the same time, from the people of the Han Dynasty. Zhaocheng became more and more like a foreign vassal state.
Until today, the county governor actually said to him, "What does the Han Dynasty's affairs have to do with you?"
This is an extremely dangerous political signal!
This represents an idea that is beginning to flow among the upper echelons, and it is definitely not the idea of just one family or one person.
Luo Sheng tried his best to recall the attitudes and words of Anyang Hou and others when they came to Zhaocheng, and then he discovered something horrifying.
Marquis Anyang went from hoping that Luo would take action to hoping that Luo could assist him, and then he asked for Luo's opinion, hoping that Luo could give him suggestions.
Luo Sheng couldn't sit still all of a sudden. He never expected that the issue of taxation would lead to such a major event for the family.
It was the first time for the Luo family to enter the Han court political system from the Zhou Dynasty. There was no precedent to follow, and this unfamiliarity was a heavy blow to the Luo family.
Lou Huai looked at Gongzi Sheng who was a little uneasy, and said, "Gongzi Sheng, I am about to die anyway. People often say that when a dying person is about to die, his words are good. I have something to say that I have been holding back for a long time. Do you want to hear it?"
Luo Sheng's eyes were cold and stern, then slowly retracted. He looked at the county governor in front of him and said in a deep voice: "Go ahead, I'm a little curious about what else you have to say."
Lou Huai's eyes were a little hazy, and he said softly: "Zhaocheng is a holy place in the hearts of all the people in Zhuxia, but it is not presided over by the emperor, and even the Luo family is not on the same page with the emperor.
Oh.
Too many people are unhappy.”
(End of this chapter)
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