Chapter 225: The Distinction between the Sovereign and His Subjects...
Xun Yu was unable to give an answer to these two questions for the time being.
He could only confirm one thing, that compared with Yuan Shao and Liu Bian in Yecheng, the combination of Qiao Yan and Liu Yu in Chang'an seemed more likely to achieve the goal of the royal family and the gentry ruling the world together, or in other words, a Han dynasty where the status of the gentry remained unchanged.
In fact, if you have to say, Qiao Yan should have been Xun Yu's first choice.
Her two good friends, Xi Zhicai and Guo Jia, joined her army early on.
After Xun Shuang went to Chang'an, he sent Xun You to her to be a military advisor.
Looking at the performance of all the heroes in the world since the death of Emperor Ling of Han, or even earlier, there are few who can match Qiao Yan.
But what was strange was that although he had never met Qiao Yan in person, he intuitively felt that her various behaviors did not reveal the attitude of a loyal Han minister.
She had already behaved too rationally and soberly during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, so much so that when Xun Yu tried to put himself in Qiao Yan's situation, he found that he seemed unable to put her in that exposed position.
That is to say - he gave his all unreservedly because of the appreciation and promotion of Emperor Ling of Han.
Just like the nickname she gave herself, it was like a blazing fire that would burn her life.
That's not quite right.
Some attitudes may not be apparent to those who work with or against Qiao Yan, but for Xun Yu, an outsider, they are much clearer.
Or perhaps, if she were a different gender, those competing in the world would be able to see her contradictions more clearly.
Of course, there was no need for Xun Yu to expose her.
After all, she had never done anything beyond the line from beginning to end, and she had even developed the border area of Bingzhou to the point where it was second to none in terms of people's livelihood, political achievements, and military.
But precisely because of this ambition that made him unsure of the direction, Xun Yu did not dare to choose to join her.
This is what he never said to Zhuge Liang.
But now, there was a change that he had never expected.
As the turmoil in Chang'an came to an end, it was not Qiao Yan who appeared here to assist the young emperor Liu Xie. He relied on his reputation of clearing the court of corrupt officials to naturally undermine Liu Xie's power, and launched a rebellion in the name of the emperor's legitimacy.
This is what is called obeying the emperor's orders to disobey the emperor.
Instead, it was Qiao Yan and a group of loyal Han ministers including Lu Zhi, Huangfu Song, Huang Wan, and Wang Yun who supported Liu Yu to the throne after Liu Xie disappeared.
The fact that she dared to choose the mature Liu Yu as the emperor seemed to be inconsistent with Xun Yu's judgment that she had rebellious intentions.
Could it be...
She just wants to be a powerful official, but it must be the powerful official of the Han emperor whom she chooses?
From Xun Yu's point of view, this is possible.
If we rank the people's livelihood management in all the prefectures and counties in the world, Qiao Yan's Bingzhou is undoubtedly the leader, but Liu Yu's Youzhou was able to lower the price of grain to thirty coins per stone at one time, and if it were not second, it would at least be able to maintain the third place.
From the perspective of the world, Liu Yu's accession to the throne would surely change the old practices of selling official positions and titles and indulging in extravagance and debauchery that existed during the reign of Emperor Ling of Han.
If this was what Qiao Yan was pursuing, her previous actions could be explained.
Unfortunately, this in-depth exploration of her governing philosophy will never appear in the letter that Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai sent to Xun Yu.
He could only compare and judge the performance of various princes while traveling around the country. It was not until he received the news of Liu Yu's accession to the throne that he made this assumption, which he was not quite sure about.
At this point in time, he really shouldn't avoid her just because he was worried that he would end up like Fengxiao and never come back.
As a person who was once judged by He Yong as a talented assistant to the king, he could have set foot in Chang'an on the pretext of giving advice to Liu Yu.
Driven by this idea, he finally arrived in front of Wuguan.
Xun Yu gathered his cloak and walked towards the interior of the pass.
The attendants behind him led his horse and followed behind him.
Perhaps it was because Chang'an was about to welcome a new emperor, which represented business opportunities. Or perhaps it was because Liu Biao was in awe of Qiao Yan's efficiency in attacking Dong Zhuo, so he relaxed the restrictions on this checkpoint. Many caravans came and went at this pass connecting Sili and Jingzhou.
Xun Yu was in the crowd, and although he seemed a bit out of place with his surroundings due to his outstanding temperament, he was not too eye-catching.
But just after verifying his identity and household registration, Xun Yu saw a little boy running towards him.
He stopped and waited for the boy to run up to him. He heard the boy ask, "My master asked me to ask, may I ask, are you Xun Wenruo from Yingchuan?"
Xun Yu looked in the direction the little boy pointed and saw a caravan of merchants that was not too small.
The carriage that the little boy pointed out specifically looked a little more refined than those belonging to ordinary caravans, but at most it was thought to belong to a wealthy merchant.
But the fact that this person could recognize his identity seemed to be no ordinary thing.
Xun Yu asked back: "What if so?"
The boy said, "If so, Sir, please get on the carriage and have a chat. It's still more than 300 miles from here to Chang'an City. Although Sir, you have a horse to ride, it's not as comfortable as a carriage."
Although Xun Yu didn't know the identity of the visitor, he still agreed.
However, what surprised him was that the person he saw after boarding the carriage was a teenager of only seventeen or eighteen years old.
He was also someone whose identity was not difficult for him to guess.
It was still a cold winter with snow outside, but inside the car, there was fur in the carriage and Xun Yu was given a hand warmer by the child before getting in, so he didn't feel any cold.
The young man sitting in the car had gentle eyes and eyebrows, and a hint of sharpness in his temperament. He was obviously not an ordinary scholar.
The Yangzhou accent that came out when he greeted her made him seem more friendly.
Xun Yu smiled gently and said, "Why did Zhou Gongjin of Lujiang come to Chang'an via Jingzhou if he didn't defend Yangzhou for Sun Bofu?"
Zhou Yu, whose identity was revealed, was also very calm: "As long as this trip is more meaningful than guarding Jiujiang, of course I can come."
There is a feud between Jingzhou and Sun Ce over the murder of their father. Although Liu Biao and Sun Ce now support Qiao Yan and Liu Yu, the hatred between the two sides cannot be easily resolved.
As Sun Ce's right-hand man, Zhou Yu should not have come along this route.
But considering that there is a certain conflict between Yuan Shu and Sun Ce, this route is much safer than taking the Yuzhou line.
In addition, according to the current situation, Zhou Yu does have the opportunity to travel.
Yuan Shu, who was in Runan at the moment, knew that Zhou Yu was difficult to deal with and did not dare to retake Jiujiang. At the same time, he had to face the threat posed by Liu Bei in the country.
How could he have imagined that Zhou Yu would suddenly leave Jiujiang and come to Chang'an.
When the caravan paused for a while when passing through Wuguan Pass, Zhou Yu had asked his servants to boil some hot water outside, which he used to entertain Xun Yu for tea.
Most of the tea cakes today are still produced in the south. The tea in Yangzhou is made by baking the picked tea leaves into red, grinding them and adding oil. After brewing, onions and ginger are also added.
But because Lu Yuan visited Yangzhou last time on Qiao Yan's orders, she mentioned that people in Bingzhou rarely add anything to tea, and at most people just enjoy its pure flavor, so Zhou Yu followed suit.
At this time, the clear tea was pushed in front of Xun Yu.
The carriage was continuing to move towards the north. Due to the high quality of the carriage, the road was not bumpy. It just created a ripple in the cup that was not yet full. It was quite interesting.
Zhou Yu continued, "I heard about you when you arrived in Yangzhou from Xuzhou, but I didn't bother you because I saw you didn't intend to visit anyone. Now I happen to meet you here again."
A few months ago, when he heard that Xun Yu was coming to Yangzhou, he wanted to ask Sun Ce to try to invite him.
But thinking about the previous incident with Gao Dai, Zhou Yu gave up the idea.
At this point, neither he nor Sun Ce are fools and they can see that someone is behind Gao Dai's affairs.
Even though Bofu initially settled in Yangzhou to relieve the siege of Lujiang, there were still many people who did not want him to gain a foothold here.
Naturally, these people would not be happy to see any useful talents appear under Sun Ce's command.
Unless Xun Yu explicitly expresses his desire to meet with Sun Ce, it is better to pretend that he is not here.
Facts have proved that Zhou Yu's response strategy was not wrong. Judging from Xun Yu's performance of passing through the border without entering the gate, it is obvious that he was not optimistic about Sun Ce.
On the contrary, this chance meeting on the way to Chang'an could allow them to have a drink and chat for a while.
Xun Yu glanced at the young man in front of him.
In terms of manners and demeanor, he could indeed be considered a model of the nobility, and if we look at his actions in Yangzhou, he was both brave and resourceful.
He has always been a person who values talent, so there is no need for him to put on airs in front of the hospitable carriage owner.
He said: "If you just want to taste Wuzhong's famous tea, it doesn't matter if you disturb me. It's just getting to know a new friend."
After Xun Yu said this, he couldn't help but wonder about Zhou Yu's purpose of coming to Chang'an.
If Zhou Yu just wanted to seek the position of Governor of Yangzhou for Sun Ce, according to what Xun Yu had heard, Sun Ce had already expressed his approval and support for Liu Yu's enthronement, and there was no one in Yangzhou more capable of taking on this position than Sun Ce. Considering the role that Qiao Yan could play, there was no need for Zhou Yu to go there in person.
This is almost a done deal.
But as Zhou Yu said, he felt that there were more important things to do than defending Jiujiang, so he made this choice.
It seems that he was either observing the relationship between Liu Yu and Qiao Yan as a monarch and his subject in case he failed to respond in a timely manner in the future, or he wanted to seek experience in managing Yangzhou from the ongoing construction in Guanzhong.
Xun Yu did not reveal his guess in his expression, but as the two talked, Zhou Yu took the opportunity to talk about the purpose of coming here, which was indeed to make a deal with Qiao Yan.
As for what exactly was to be traded, Zhou Yu did not elaborate, in line with the principle of not talking too much with someone who has just made contact.
The two then turned the topic to the theory of music in books.
Zhou Yu was twelve years younger than Xun Yu, but he had already served under Sun Ce, so it was okay to consider them as equals.
For Xun Yu, having such a person to talk to on the way to Chang'an was a real pleasure.
But he never forgot the purpose of this observation.
During the rest period of the carriage, he had already paid attention to the people coming here.
Now that they have arrived in Guanzhong, some people who previously mingled with the caravan like Zhou Yu have now become more open about their activities.
Due to the dispute between Yuan Shu and Liu Bei in Yuzhou, many people from Ru and Ying who were not optimistic about both sides went south to Nanyang. Now they just happened to enter Guanzhong with the news that Liu Yu was going to proclaim himself emperor in Chang'an.
Xun Yu himself was from Yingchuan, and he saw many familiar faces in the queue.
However, it is still unknown whether these people are going to wait and see or directly seek ways to get promoted, so they just nod to each other when they look at each other.
He looked at the scene in front of him and said, "I heard that when Lord Liu was the governor of Youzhou, merchants did not dare to bargain. If that is true, when the spring comes next year, I am afraid that there will be even more people flowing into Guanzhong from Nanyang and Hanzhong."
This kind of population flow will inevitably lead to further strengthening of Guanzhong's strength.
Although in a short period of time it is far from enough to restore the population to the level when Chang'an was the capital of the Western Han Dynasty, the increase in population and the increase in trade brought about by Liu Yu's status and credit can dilute the influence of Dong Zhuo's small money on Guanzhong in the shortest time.
It is hard to say whether this was one of the reasons why Qiao Yan chose Liu Yu.
Xun Yu couldn't help but sigh: "That Qiao Bingzhou made a wise choice."
At least so far, Liu Yu's credit is the most durable.
But perhaps, if she really has ambitions, this is not a very wise choice for her.
But which evaluation will prevail in the end is something that is impossible to predict, just like no one knows where the confrontation between the East and the West of the Han Dynasty will go.
It would be better to see the current construction status of Chang'an with your own eyes first.
When they arrived in Chang'an, they received news that due to the redivision of various areas of Chang'an City and the upcoming ceremony of the emperor's enthronement, all carriages and horses were strictly prohibited from entering the city and had to be parked in the official inn outside Xuanping Gate.
Seeing that Xun Yu intended to walk directly into the southern suburbs, Zhou Yu ordered his subordinates to take the carriage to the inn, and he followed Xun Yu.
In the sight of the two people, among the several rammed earth platform ruins in the southern suburbs, the one located at the easternmost end is being restored in full swing.
Although there was still light snow in the sky, dozens of oilcloths produced by the Liangzhou Textile Bureau were connected to each other to form a special roof, which was enough to support the construction work here in an environment that was not affected by wind and snow. Even if the snow turned heavier, there was no need to worry about the need to stop work here.
From the shape of the platform, Xun Yu judged that it was the former site of the Mingtang and Biyong in Chang'an.
The surrounding circular canals and L-shaped auxiliary rooms also indicate its identity.
Just like the situation in Luoyang City, this place was responsible for the emperor's offering sacrifices to heaven and earth, enthroning the gods, and accepting audiences. It also represented the face of the Han royal family.
This place was destroyed when the Red Eyebrow Army was wreaking havoc in Chang'an. After Dong Zhuo led Liu Xie to flee to Chang'an, he would rather have people spend more time and effort on repairing the Weiyang Palace and did not rebuild the Mingtang and Biyong.
Now it has been restored to its original shape.
Xun Yu took two steps in that direction and saw that not only the Mingtang needed to be rebuilt, but the circular ditch of Biyong also needed to be dredged again as it had not been used for many years and then connected to the canal in the south.
This canal runs across the residential areas in the eastern suburbs of Chang'an City.
The construction team here seems to be planning to dredge the river while also adjusting its direction. They start construction just in time for the river to freeze and dry up in the winter, so it can be used in the spring.
Xun Yu noticed that the person directing the repair of the Zhengyuan Canal was a not-too-young eunuch. He did not look like the eunuch assigned to Liu Xie after Dong Zhuo came to Chang'an, but rather like an old resident of Luoyang.
And the people he led to work were actually a group of Qiang people.
Due to the surrounding barriers, Xun Yu was unable to go closer to take a closer look. It was only because the canal was at the outermost edge that he could see this special combination. Thinking that this combination could only have been created by Qiao Yan, Xun Yu slightly modified his evaluation of her.
She was strictly following the rituals of the Han Dynasty's ancestral temple.
He withdrew his gaze from this side and turned to the west.
There are twelve ritual building ruins on the west side of Mingtang and Biyong. Unfortunately, it is too late to repair them due to the current human and material resources. In order to prevent the dilapidated scene from interfering with the grandeur of Mingtang and Biyong, they simply dismantled all the wooden piles on the earth platform.
Only on the square platform on the westernmost side was the Lingtai rebuilt there.
The two high platforms face each other, as if representing the southern gate and face of Chang'an. Although they have not been completed yet, they can already make people try to imagine the orthodox scene in more than a month.
Thinking of this, the expression on Xun Yu's face softened a little.
He made a gesture to Zhou Yu, and then he and Zhou Yu crossed the new road between Mingtang and Lingtai and headed towards Chang'an City.
After Xun Yu arrived, he asked his followers to go to the city to look for Xun You first. He watched the construction scene in the southern suburbs for a little longer. Outside the south gate of Chang'an City, that is, Anmen, Xun You was already waiting there with an umbrella.
Perhaps because Xun You came to greet him personally, Xun Yu felt that the soldiers guarding the city cast many curious glances at him and Zhou Yu, but when Xun You looked at them, they immediately returned to their straight eyes.
"No need to look. The people I meet don't have any more eyes than others." Xun You said to them.
After entering the city gate, he laughed and cursed in a low voice, "These are some naughty monkeys picked from the Liangzhou soldiers! I told you that we should have replaced them with another group to guard the city."
He said he was talking about the naughty monkeys, but from his tone, it seemed that he had a close relationship with these soldiers.
Xun Yu took a look at the other person and felt that it was not his illusion.
This nephew of his, who was usually quiet and sometimes seemed a little foolish, seemed to have become much more lively during the two years he had followed Qiao Yan in battle.
But after entering Chang'an City, he had no time to pay attention to Xun You's situation, and instead began to observe his surroundings.
Anmen Inner Street, which runs through the north and south, is eleven miles long and about sixteen zhang wide. The six zhang in the middle is the emperor's highway, and the two sides are for pedestrians and officials.
The distinction between the curbs has been redefined, and it is not difficult to guess that this is also a ritual system restored for the emperor's enthronement.
Xun Yu asked, "I see that the palaces are now only distributed on this side of Weiyang Palace?"
Xun You replied, "Yes, Lord Liu advocates simplicity, so according to what you have agreed with him earlier, the Weiyang Palace and the Gui Palace will be retained as palaces, the former as the residence of the emperor, and the latter as the place for court meetings."
Both palaces are located on the west side of the street where they are located.
Xun You pointed to the east and said, "There are only ruins left of the Changle Palace, but it is not appropriate to convert it into residential buildings and include it in the 160 li. Therefore, the nine government offices were moved here. In addition, the Jinwu Guard was reorganized with Liu Gong's direct descendants in Youzhou and stationed here."
This distance is easier to mobilize than the previous situation in Luoyang, and can effectively prevent a palace coup.
After they walked north for a while, Xun You continued, "To the north are the Three Temples, Nine Markets and the Neighborhoods."
Because Chang'an City is high in the south and low in the north, and the Wei River is right after exiting the north gate, when they came from Wugu Pass in the south, the first thing they saw was the palace, and then the houses.
The Weiyang Palace is located at the highest point in the south, overlooking the imperial city, and also overlooking the flowing water of the Guanzhong Plain in the north, the lowest point.
Even though Xun Yu had not seen what Chang'an City looked like a month ago, he intuitively felt that after the remodeling and planning, the place was much more orderly than before.
He asked, "Has Qiao Bingzhou returned to Chang'an?"
"I guessed you would ask this question." Xun You would know that Xun Yu's words did not mean to ask whether he should meet Qiao Yan if he had returned, but to ask about the distribution of power in Chang'an City after the sudden change.
Who is stronger, a powerful minister - or a powerful minister with military power, or the future emperor, is most likely the first criterion for these newcomers to decide where to go.
Seeing that Zhou Yu had tactfully said goodbye to them and headed towards the guesthouse, Xun You replied, "You came at the right time. Your Excellency arrived in Guanzhong yesterday and temporarily stationed his troops in Gaoling. He brought some cavalry to Chang'an. The cavalry was stationed on the north bank of the Wei River, and she entered Chang'an with her entourage."
"But she didn't stay in the city for long. She left the city again. Before she left, she asked Liu Gong to take someone with her. That person was Tian Zitai, who assisted Liu Gong in farming and formulating laws in Youzhou."
When Liu Yu came to Liangzhou to supervise the war, Qiao Yan had expressed his feelings, wondering why Liu Yu came alone and did not bring his good assistant Tian Chou with him.
Fortunately, now that Liu Yu has entered Guanzhong and Zhang Liao is guarding Shanggu County, it is natural for Tian Chou to follow him to Chang'an, which makes Qiao Yan satisfied.
According to what Qiao Yan said to Liu Yu, when she had previously demarcated the areas of civilian and military settlements in Guanzhong, Liu Yu had not yet decided to come, and Tian Chou had not arrived either, so she handed over the overall coordination power here to Guo Yuan and Cheng Yu.
But now that Liu Yu has arrived, he should ask Tian Chou to take over part of the work. This is in line with the relationship between a ruler and his subjects.
To say that Qiao Yan was willing to hand over the Guanzhong military settlement would mean that she was underestimating her ambitions.
It’s just that before she plans for the position of Grand Marshal, she can’t make even the slightest mistake.
Since they had done the farming in Luoyang before, why not give up the management rights of the military settlement in Chang'an?
She doesn't necessarily have to suffer a loss.
The military settlements in the Guanzhong Plain should actually be divided into three parts with Meiwu and Chang'an as nodes. While she still has manpower in Liangzhou and Bingzhou, Guanzhong still lacks management talents.
If the money in your own pocket is not enough, then use the money in other people's pockets.
By having Tian Chou, a die-hard supporter of Liu Yu, interfere in military affairs, he could also gain a good reputation for himself.
But in fact, Tian Chou had very limited say in this matter.
The grain price in Youzhou is stable, but the grain yield per mu is far lower than that in Bingzhou.
It didn't take Tian Chou long to discover that in addition to being in charge, he also needed to ask Cheng Yu and Guo Yuan for advice on many things, otherwise it would inevitably lead to a waste of land resources.
In this situation, given Tian Chou's pragmatic character, he would only let Cheng Yu be the person in charge.
This is the most favorable personnel arrangement situation for Qiao Yan.
But to those who don't know the truth, this seems to be a move to show the emperor's dignity.
Xun Yu could vaguely judge that Qiao Yan still took the lead in this kind of adjustment, but even he had to admit that this was the most appropriate way to deal with it.
It seems that everything he has seen since arriving in Chang'an is showing a signal -
The Han Dynasty that Qiao Yan wanted to support was one with wise men like Liu Yu at the center.
Her own aristocratic family background and her desire to seek a high position as a powerful official were also a consensus among the gentry.
While Xun Yu was thinking, he heard Xun You ask, "Wen Ruo, since you have come to Chang'an, I might as well ask you openly, what do you think now?"
"I..." Xun Yu had just started to speak when he suddenly saw a group of people in Lingtai official uniforms passing by him, so he stopped talking immediately.
Xun You originally thought that Xun Yu interrupted his speech because someone was passing by.
But when he looked at Xun Yu, he saw that his expression was indescribably strange.
Xun You asked: "What's wrong?"
Xun Yu frowned: "I think I saw someone I know."
Although it was just a quick glimpse, he felt that he was not mistaken.
What confirmed this even more was that the moment the other person saw him, he turned his head away as if unintentionally, avoiding his gaze.
This person should never appear here, especially not in a team like this!
Even if he came to Chang'an to discuss business like Zhou Yu, it would be understandable, but why was he in the Lingtai queue?
That was clearly Tian Feng, a strategist under Yuan Shao!
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