Chapter 229: Punishment...
Although Liu Yu did not discuss the position of the general with Qiao Yan in advance, this matter was considered a tacit agreement in Chang'an.
The areas that the Chang'an court could truly control, or the areas where government orders could be directly issued, were actually only Liangzhou, Bingzhou and Guanzhong.
And these three places were all conquered by Qiao Yan.
If they want to fight against Yuan Shao of Jizhou and Gongsun Zan of Youzhou, and if they want to unite or check and balance other forces, the role that Qiao Yan can play is unquestionable.
The general holds the military power of the world.
Then, after Liu Yu took charge of the central government, only by letting Qiao Yan hold this power could he mobilize troops from all directions with more legitimacy.
Liu Yu knew very well that he was not cut out to lead troops, and he did not think there was anything wrong with giving her this commission which was a bit over the limit for her age.
If we consider that it was because of Qiao Yan that he was able to sit on the throne, giving him the position of general can only be said to be a natural move.
But now——
Before the appointment decree was read out, she actually gave the power of the general to Liu Yan, the governor of Yizhou.
Not to mention Liu Yu's confidant who was announcing the decree, even Liu Yu himself who was sitting at the top, and the other few people who had just taken over the positions of the Three Dukes, could not help but feel a little surprised.
This doesn't seem to be a beneficial move for Qiao Yan.
If this were a peaceful time, the world would not have been so divided, and she would not even need to be humble, as others would have objected to the appointment decision.
However, the current situation is like this, and most of the people here are indebted to Chang'an for their help, so it is impossible for them to refute it.
But what is strange is that Liu Yu intuitively felt that Qiao Yan's behavior did not seem to be a concession due to his young age and high position.
Judging from her decision to detain the governor for Bingzhou's response to the locust plague, she was able to distinguish the urgency of the situation and would never make any meaningless concessions at this time.
He also heard Qiao Yan say at this time: "When the thief Dong was stationed in Chang'an, Yizhou purchased rice to alleviate the shortage in Chang'an. It can be seen that Yizhou is a land of abundance. The current enemy is still Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan. Yizhou can be united as a friend instead of an enemy."
"When the traitor Dong was alive, Liu Yizhou was the Grand Marshal. Now that the traitor Dong has been eliminated, this position should not be too low, in case Yuan Shao takes advantage of it."
"However, the position of Grand Marshal is above the Three Dukes, and controls both military and political power. Liu Junlang, the governor of Yizhou, petitioned to reopen the governorship of the province, which was suspected of separatism. Hanzhong Governor Su Gu was replaced by Zhang Xiu, a general under Liu Junlang, and the position of Wudu County Governor fell into the hands of Zhang Lu. We dare not keep the title of Grand Marshal, which would make him act too ostentatiously. Therefore, please give him the title of General."
Liu Yu came to some sense from Qiao Yan's words.
Giving Liu Yan, who was in Yizhou, the title of general did not mean giving him the actual power of general.
The environment in Yizhou also made it impossible for Liu Yan to expand his power by relying on his authority to dispatch troops.
The essential meaning of giving him the title of general is just to make it impossible for Liu Yan to defect to the Yecheng court.
Whether he is the general or the grand marshal, it makes little difference in winning over Liu Yan, because Yecheng will never give a title higher than this!
But with the title of great general, he had a reason to travel to and fro to fill the granary in Chang'an.
It was obvious that Qiao Yan didn't have a good impression of Liu Yan.
I heard that two days ago, Zhang Lu questioned Xu Shu and Yang Feng about their rash seizure of Gudao and Sanguan.
Although he also knew that the two men seized the pass in response to Qiao Yan's campaign to advance into Guanzhong from Liangzhou, he had to give an explanation to the Tianshidao believers with Hanzhong at his back, so Zhang Lu still issued this call for accountability at the end of the year.
He picked the right time to attack.
After all, his plan was that Liu Yu would never take any action against friendly forces like them before he ascended the throne.
Who would have known that at this moment, after the coronation ceremony on the first day of the first month of the first year of Jian'an, this matter would be brought up in the court.
Qiao Yan said confidently, "I sent out a transfer order to Chencang yesterday, and ordered Xu Yuanzhi, Gai Yuangu and others to drive the rice thieves out of Wudu. In order to prevent an enmity with Liu Yizhou, why not ask for a general position for him today?"
Lu Zhi felt like laughing when he heard this.
Qiao Yan's performance can really be regarded as a check and balance of power and maintenance of relationships with the surrounding areas.
But there was absolutely no fear or flattery towards Liu Yan in this abdication.
With Gai Xun's reputation in Liangzhou and the command of Xu Shu, even if Zhang Lu preached the Tianshi Dao in Wudu County and gathered a lot of manpower, it would probably be impossible for him to gain a foothold in Liangzhou.
In other words, the position of general was a consolation after a slap in the face.
This side is saying that Zhang Lu is Zhang Lu and Liu Yan is Liu Yan, and her military counterattack against Zhang Lu has nothing to do with Liu Yan himself.
On the other hand, it also means that while he has the position of general, he should also consider the country when commanding military dispatches and make fewer ill-considered plans.
What’s even more interesting is that she issued the order to dispatch troops on New Year’s Eve, which cleared the emperor Liu Yu of any involvement.
Liu Yu, who was at the top, naturally understood the subtext. Under such circumstances, it was inevitable to give Liu Yan the position of general. However, in this case... the position given to Qiao Yan would inevitably be lower.
Liu Yu felt that this seemed to be an injustice to Qiao Yan's efforts for the Han Dynasty, and also an injustice to her for rescuing him at that time.
After temporarily postponing the decision on official positions for the generals and adjourning the court, Liu Yu invited all three ministers to come here to discuss the matter.
Lu Zhi said, "I think Ye Shu's proposal is appropriate. Your Majesty is not the nephew of Emperor Xiaoling, but ascended the throne as a relative of the Han Dynasty. Yizhou Governor Liu Junlang is the descendant of King Gong of Lu, and he studied under Minister of Education Zhu Boxiu. He is also the best among the relatives in the world. It is indeed inappropriate to directly deprive him of his position as Grand Marshal."
"Just now after the court was dismissed, Ye Shu asked me again, is it possible that without the position of the general, she can't defeat Yuan Benchu?"
Lu Zhi bowed to Liu Yu and said, "If Your Majesty really feels that you have failed Ye Shu by not giving her the title of General, you can let her take the title of General of the Cavalry and grant her the authority to command the imperial sword, or you can follow the example of Emperor Xiaowu and Huo the Cavalry."
Why did he imitate the name Liu Che gave to Huo Qubing? That is, adding the three words "Grand Sima" before the title of General of Cavalry to show that this General of Cavalry is different from others.
Of course, this Grand Sima is not that Grand Sima.
Liu Yu pondered for a while and made a decision.
At the second day's court meeting, the decree read out to the military commanders was:
Liu Yan, the governor of Yizhou, was appointed as the general.
Qiao Yan, governor of Bingzhou, was appointed as Grand Marshal and General of Cavalry. During the expedition, he was granted the authority to establish a government and recruit officials, and he shared the power of governor of Liangzhou.
Huangfu Song was appointed General of Chariots and Cavalry.
Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou, was appointed as the left general.
When Yuan Shu was appointed governor of Yuzhou, he was given the title of General.
Sun Ce was appointed Governor of Yangzhou and given additional title of General of the Eastern Expedition.
Of course, what was announced today was not just the names of military generals.
The nine ministers under the three dukes have not been fully filled, but several titles have been decided.
For example, Chen Ji, who was recommended by Qiao Yan as one of the directors of the Hongwenguan, was the Grand Herald among the Nine Ministers, in charge of protocol.
The position of Minister of Finance, who was in charge of finance, fell into the hands of Cheng Yu.
The post of Weiwei, who was in charge of the guards, was held by Xianyu Fu, a military officer of Liu Yu.
Shi Sun Rui, who came to Chang'an with Lu Zhi, Huang Wan and others, was appointed Guanglu Xun.
Under the Nine Ministers, Xun Shuang, who was going to Leping for recuperation, was given the title of Guanglu Dafu. Although he did not hold an office in the court, he was given the honor of a gold seal and purple ribbon, that is, the Jinzi Guanglu Dafu.
As Qiao Yan had told him before, Xun Yu was given the title of Shizhong.
In theory, the role of the Shizhong should be to assist the Shangshu Ling in discussing military and national affairs, but when the Shangshu Ling position is still vacant, he should assist the Three Dukes in handling foreign government affairs.
I will not elaborate on the rest.
These high positions that are still vacant and the Hongwenguan's efforts to recruit talented people are undoubtedly a signal that will attract more people.
But no matter how the famous scholars who came to the Hongwenguan were vying to show off and make progress, at this time a group of people, after receiving another group of followers from Zhao Yun, headed towards Hanzhong from the Xiegu Road.
They were going to issue an edict to confer the title of General on Liu Yan.
The person in charge of announcing the decree was Qi Zhou, who worked for Liu Yu when he was governor of Youzhou.
After Liu Yu ascended the throne, he served as "Da Xing" under the Da Hong Lu among the Nine Ministers. Since the enthronement and deprivation of titles of princes and marquises were all under the charge of the Da Hong Lu department, all matters related to enthronement were handed over to Qi Zhou's hands.
He looked at the other person traveling with him and didn't know how to comment on the fact that the other person was traveling to Yizhou with a girl wearing a veiled hat.
If it was like Qiao Bingzhou... no, if it was like Madam Lu who was newly appointed as the deputy governor of Liangzhou, Qi Zhou felt that there was no need to say anything.
But he clearly saw that the girl brought by this man did not even reveal her face, and he addressed the person traveling with him as "teacher", which made him sound like a student from Leping Academy in Bingzhou.
Speaking of his colleague, Qi Zhou felt even more confused.
This person's name doesn't seem to be famous under Qiao Yan.
According to his self-introduction, he claimed that his name was Li Meng, with the courtesy name Gongming. He was from Sili and had gone to Bingzhou to serve in his early years.
During the conversation, Qi Zhou asked him why he had never heard of his name before.
Li Meng stroked his beard and said, "It's because there are so many talented people in Bingzhou that I don't have the opportunity to show my talent. Fortunately, this trip to Yizhou is not a major task, which is just right for a leisurely person like me."
This reason...is barely acceptable.
But since Qi Zhou followed Liu Yu to Chang'an, he felt that he had jumped from a provincial official in a remote area of Youzhou to an official under one of the Nine Ministers, and he must not make any mistakes in his actions.
At least we can't leave any handle for people to use against Your Majesty.
As a result, he attached great importance to this trip to Yizhou to appoint officials.
No matter how he thought about it, he felt that his partner might just be here for sightseeing.
But after thinking about the fact that Marquis Qiao gave up the position of general, it is not difficult to understand why he only sent someone to do the job.
Qi Zhou couldn't help but sigh when he thought of this.
It seems that the matter of dealing with Liu Yan can only be left to him.
Li Ru saw his performance from afar, shook his head and smiled.
Since he was going to work under Qiao Yan, he obviously could not use the name Li Ru anymore, but he didn't have to change "Ru" to "Feng" as Qiao Yan said.
He decided on the word "Meng" before he set out, which means to get away with it by cheating.
Jia Xu felt that Li Ru's waiting for a suitable opportunity to take action was a sign of negative attitude, but Li Ru himself might not think so.
For example, if Qiao Yan wanted to give up his position to General Liu Yan in order to seek a higher position for himself and turn the "Grand Marshal and General of Cavalry" into a true Grand Marshal, Li Ru would immediately take on the task of going to Yizhou.
Qiao Ting, who came with him, asked, "Why did the teacher let me follow you wearing a veil instead of changing into men's clothes to make myself less noticeable?"
Li Ru replied nonchalantly: "You came here to see and learn more. What I want to do is to hit the target with one strike. Just treat us as a burden in this team. There is no need to look like a capable person."
Qiao Ting didn't quite understand what Li Ru was planning, but since he said he wanted her to read and learn more, she thought there wouldn't be any problem.
Come to think of it, it was an accident that she became Li Ru's disciple.
Jia Xu originally wanted to try to provoke Li Ru again, so that he would not really use the name of farming mentioned by Qiao Yan as a cover and continue his pastoral life.
As a result, Li Ru told Jia Xu that if he felt bored, he could find other ways to pass the time.
For example, Jia Xu can teach Qiao Lan, and Li Ru can teach Qiao Ting, and they can determine who is better after a year.
According to Li Ru's little plan, teaching Qiao Yan's sisters should be considered a serious job, so that he can at least get another year of unemployment.
But after receiving Qiao Yan's letter, Li Ru could no longer teach in peace.
This seemed to be exactly the moment he had been waiting for!
But with the competitive spirit that he couldn't grow spinach better than Jia Xu and couldn't teach better than Jia Xu, Li Ru simply took Qiao Ting out.
Anyway, they will have to run around sooner or later, so they might as well adapt to it in advance.
What's more - taking people out and letting them learn based on practical experience, who can say that this is not a teaching method, right?
While Li Ru was thinking about this, he was also thinking about the two pieces of information that Qiao Yan had given him.
One is that when Liu Yan first proposed the system of provincial governors, what he wanted to seek for himself was not the title of Governor of Yizhou, but the title of Governor of Jiaozhou.
However, Dong Fu, a native of Mianzhu, was well versed in prophecies and had the ability to tell fortunes. At that time, he was serving as a minister in Luoyang.
He was on good terms with Liu Yan, so he said to Liu Yan, "The capital is about to be in chaos, and the aura of the emperor is in the air in Yizhou."
After Liu Yan became the governor of Yizhou, Dong Fu followed Liu Yan into Shu and became the commander of Shu County.
Another story is that when the caravan led by Guo Daxian returned from Yizhou, although he did not meet Qiao Yan, he brought her a piece of news he heard, which was also passed on to Li Ru by Qiao Yan.
Liu Yan quietly made the carriage for the imperial carriage at the beginning of last year.
These two points are enough to show that Liu Yan does not want to be a great general or a great commander, but has ulterior motives.
But last year, or when he first proposed the state governor system, this move was not too strange.
Under the rule of Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, people's lives were in chaos. Later, Liu Xie was under the coercion of Dong Zhuo, and Liu Bian proclaimed himself emperor in Yecheng.
Liu Yan must have thought, since the people of Youzhou wanted Liu Yu to become the emperor because of his good governance, why can't I do the same in Yizhou, which is said by famous alchemists to have the aura of an emperor?
It's a pity that Liu Xie disappeared, and Qiao Yan was eyeing the north covetously. At the same time, he welcomed Liu Yu as the emperor, which thwarted Liu Yan's plan.
Li Ru had no doubt that even if Liu Yan had taken the presumptuous act of building a carriage last year, he would at least hide it after Liu Yu officially became emperor, and the problem would never be discovered by Qi Zhou who came to announce the decree.
However, any movement will leave traces.
When the opportunity arises, just expose the matter.
If Qi Zhou thinks that he is just here to kill time, that would be great.
What's more, I heard that Yizhou has a lot of delicious food and beautiful scenery, so it's much more comfortable than going to Chang'an city to do business!
He had already experienced the treatment of being thrown off his horse by Qiao Yan, and he couldn't let his bones be broken again.
By the way, when he passed through Chang'an, what was that person busy with recently?
Li Ru rubbed his head which had been useless for a while.
"It's a decree." Qiao Ting replied after hearing Li Ru mumbling this.
"Yes, the law, this is something that needs to be carefully considered." Li Ru thought that he should take advantage of the trip to Yizhou to rehabilitate himself. At the same time, he felt that Qiao Yan's boldness had been going on for a long time. He actually dared to adjust the laws and regulations and move towards revising the Han laws so quickly.
You know, the laws proposed by Tian Chou when he was cooperating with Liu Yu in the military farming were actually just amendments to the details of the punishment for theft, marriage, distribution of property, and mutual trade in Youzhou, which were suitable for Youzhou.
What Qiao Yan proposed was obviously not the case.
But Li Ru had to admit that when Qiao Yan held Liu Yu as a shield, this behavior could not be said to be completely inappropriate.
The imperial court in Chang'an had just been established, and Liangzhou and Guanzhong were places where laws were relatively lax, so it sounded natural that order needed to be established as quickly as possible.
Liu Yu's reputation for virtue also provided some room for mitigation of some initiatives that sounded easily criticized.
At a grand court meeting on the seventh day of the first lunar month, Qiao Yan put forward two astonishing memorials.
First, the "Criminal Names" in the "Han Code" was moved to the first chapter of the law.
Second, five punishments were set up with hard labor as the main body.
According to Qiao Yan, during the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling of the Han Dynasty, there were frequent amnesties and methods of redeeming the death penalty for various crimes.
Every year, countless people are redeemed for their deaths with gold or silk.
But in reality, this lenient approach to prisoners cannot really change the behavior of these people, nor does it reduce the number of crimes and violations. Some people even commit crimes specifically before the amnesty, which occurs on average once a year.
If the captives from the Yellow Turban Rebellion had not been sent to guard the border, there might not have been many prisoners in the camps of General Du Liao and General Hu Wuhuan.
It is time to make changes to this lenient legal system sooner rather than later.
Cui Shi, who wrote "Monthly Orders for the Four Classes of People", mentioned in his other more famous work "Political Discussions": War and revolution are major national events, so we should pay special attention to them and enforce strict laws and punishments. Those who dare to act cunningly and deceitfully should not be forgiven for their crimes. In this way, officials will respect their duties and workers will be careful in their work. 1
This sentence also became a quote used by Qiao Yan.
Therefore, the first sentence she said in her petition was "pardon is a temporary measure and an extraordinary measure."2
Amnesty is a stopgap measure, and so is redemption of death.
It was fine for the emperor to grant amnesty right after he ascended the throne, but she did not recommend that this happen again in the following years.
Although it cannot be called harsh laws and punishments, the more turbulent the years are, the more we need to establish rules and regulations.
To bring forward the "Criminal Names" and to set corresponding standards for punishments was exactly what Qiao Yan proposed before the busy farming season.
Liu Yu's reputation for virtue will surely make it relatively easy to implement the corresponding laws as long as they do not exceed a certain limit.
At least it is easier to implement than the method proposed by Qiao Yan himself.
As for what is degree?
In the memorial Qiao Yan wrote to Liu Yu, it was written that the abolition of corporal punishment proposed during the reigns of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing was true then and it is still true today, and it is something that cannot be reversed. The humiliating nature of corporal punishment is actually an old custom.
So what are these newly defined five punishments?
That is, crimes were divided into five categories according to their severity: flogging, caning, imprisonment, exile, and death. 3
The reason for choosing the number five is that during the reign of Emperor Zhang of Han, Ban Gu wrote in "Baihutong" that the criminal law is based on the number five, which corresponds to the five elements. Although there is no clear name of the five punishments in the Han law, it can be used now.
However, in the specific definition of the crime, appropriate adjustments can be made to meet the current situation, without being overly strict. 4
As for the detailed rules, they can be formulated by talented people who are experts in this field.
This memorial was so detailed that it not only clearly defined the five punishments, but it also recommended the talented people who would carry them out.
This made it difficult for Liu Yu, who received this memorial, not to wonder whether Qiao Yan had already considered this matter when he was still the governor of Bingzhou.
But asking this question at this time is obviously meaningless.
Liu Yu listened to Qiao Yan's recommendation of the person to implement this detailed framework.
Cui Jun, nephew of Cui Shi.
Chen Qun, the son of Chen Ji.
Xun Yue, the nephew of Xun Shuang.
The first two are already in Chang'an, but the third is still in seclusion.
But she had asked Xun You and Xun Yu about this man, and both of them praised him highly and mentioned that he had his own views on criminal law and current social ills. Such a person was suitable to be involved in this matter.
Qiao Yan added: "Not granting amnesty and strictly prohibiting redemption of death and sins is not to rule the country with harsh laws. If the people in the three states can live in peace and security, why would they risk their lives and violate the criminal law?"
"So while the laws and regulations are being updated, the people's livelihood management in Guanzhong must also keep up. There are still three months before spring plowing, which is the time to distribute good seeds, teach farming, and develop people's livelihood. Doing both at the same time is not a hasty decision that will lead to disaster."
The executors of this agricultural advancement task were still Cheng Yu, Guo Yuan and Tian Chou.
Cheng Yu probably didn't expect that before he could push Qiao Yan to the position she hoped to reach, he had already been ranked among the Nine Ministers.
But this is certainly not an unexpected situation. Among the three people in charge of agricultural affairs in Chang'an, Cheng Yu had the most experience in handling government affairs and was also the oldest.
Liu Yu obviously also had some ideas of avoiding suspicion, so when he was in Youzhou, he followed his staff, and only Xianyu Fu held a high position among the Nine Ministers.
Tian Chou served as a subordinate official of "Jitian" under Cheng Yu.
"Your Excellency's advice this time was too risky." Cheng Yu could not help but comment when Cheng Yu and Qiao Yan were inspecting the fields on the outskirts of Chang'an.
"Mr. Zhongde, what you said is not quite right," Qiao Yan said, tucked his sleeves in, feeling quite relieved after a heavy task was temporarily resolved. "If I don't use a shocking event as a prelude, how can I make people feel that the other event has nothing to do with me?"
She gave Cheng Yu a meaningful look.
Cheng Yu understood what she meant. She was of course referring to the situation in Yizhou.
Li Ru was a smart man. Although he said that he had not used his brain for a while, he still left a positive answer to Qiao Yan before leaving.
If not for this, he would not have brought Qiao Ting to Yizhou as a practical teaching case.
In this case, what does the situation in Yizhou have to do with her, the General of Cavalry who gave up the position of General?
Besides, she was still busy with law and farming.
Qiao Yan added: "Besides, although the first thing is dangerous, it will sooner or later become farsightedness in the eyes of others."
The rules that were formed when there were only three states were bound to invade as the territory expanded until they were adapted to the wider territory.
Wasn’t the first merit system the same back then?
Cheng Yu smiled suddenly and realized that he was overthinking.
Although Qiao Yan was competing for the position of Grand Marshal, her eyes had never been on the emperor's enthronement before her. Instead, after properly securing Liu Yu and those talented people who had fallen into her arms, she had turned her attention back to the world.
"There is one more thing," Qiao Yan said again, "Please ask Mr. Zhongde to recommend Zhongrao as the chief of the inner court among the five government departments directly under the Grand Minister of Agriculture."
It's okay for Qiao Yan to do this himself, but it would make too much noise.
In fact, if the current emperor was not Liu Yu instead of herself, she would have wanted to give the position of Grand Minister of Agriculture to Qin Yu. Cheng Yu would be more suitable to be the prime minister, but it would be okay to take it step by step now.
Tian Chou was the Ji Tian Ling, whose main responsibility was to have the emperor personally farm the land to set an example, and to be in charge of the harvest and sacrificial matters. This position really required someone from Liu Yu's own family, and Qiao Yan didn't mind transferring this power to others.
But the internal order is not effective.
The Du Nei Ling under the Grand Minister of Agriculture was directly in charge of the storage of state money and goods.
The storage of goods also includes the granaries in Guanzhong. During her troop mobilization, this part must be strictly controlled in her hands.
The coin storage and the previous three officials in charge of minting were merged to continue to guard financial authority.
This is something she must keep in her own hands.
Although Cheng Yu, as the Minister of Agriculture, could control this power, after Liu Yu ascended the throne, more and more talented people reported to the Hongwenguan, and no one could guarantee whether someone would be parachuted into this position.
It’s better to arrange it in advance.
Cheng Yu nodded and said, "I understand what you mean, my lord."
With his words, Qiao Yan didn't have to worry too much.
Although Cheng Yu doesn't talk much, he is a reliable supporter.
She took a few steps forward and continued, "Besides, I am a little hesitant about the arrangement for Deheng."
Cheng Yu asked: "Why?"
Qiao Yan replied, "Since I intend to have him join the Shaofu, I will collect the drawings of the county and state engineering officials, sort out the drawings and records of the official handicrafts of the engineering officials, and transfer the manpower originally under the service officials to the development of the textile industry. When the cotton production area expands from the original 200 acres to more than 500 acres next year, more cotton can be spun into thread and woven into cotton cloth."
She sighed, "On the other hand, I hope he can continue to improve his weapon and make further improvements to the Divine Arm Bow as soon as possible."
You know, the Shenbi Bow Camp formed by Taishi Ci is still using old weapons.
"Zhongde, why don't people have the ability to do two things at once?"
Or, why are there not two Ma Juns?
It was rare for Cheng Yu to see her look so depressed.
He thought for a moment and replied, "If you ask me, I would choose the latter."
"As for the improvement of textiles, why not wait for the Yizhou team to come back and use their products to improve our own?"
When it comes to silk weaving, there is nothing in the world today that can compare with Shu brocade.
Even the future silk industry in Wu cannot be compared with the textile industry in Bashu.
If Qiao Yan wanted to obtain the shipbuilding skills, he could exchange them with Jiangdong. If he wanted to obtain the possibility of improving textile technology, he could of course also exchange them with his neighbors.
It's just that the former is a relatively fair deal, because a smart man like Zhou Yu has taken the initiative to put himself in a lower position, but the latter, after Liu Yan facilitated Qiao Yan's position as the Grand Marshal, was bound to be in a more helpless situation!
But now Liu Yan still knows nothing about this.
It is widely believed that the reason why Zhang Lu of Hanzhong's Tianshi Dao was supported by Liu Yan was because his mother was highly regarded by Liu Yan and had advised Zhang Lu a lot.
But in fact, Liu Yan could not be considered a person who was greedy for beauty.
For a man who decisively asked for the title of Governor of Yizhou and even had the ambition to become the emperor, the so-called fact that Liu Yan fell in love with Zhang Lu because his mother was an expert in health preservation and had a great appearance was an absurd excuse before his great cause was accomplished.
Liu Yan valued Madam Lu only because she possessed the power of ghosts.
It is no wonder that Liu Yan liked these prophecies.
Dong Fu once told him that there was the aura of an emperor in Yizhou.
A few years after he sought the position of Governor of Yizhou, with the death of Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, the world really fell into chaos. Only his Yizhou was in an extremely peaceful development environment because of the dangerous barriers on all sides.
Even after Dong Zhuo abducted Liu Xie and fled to Chang'an, he still maintained a friendly relationship with him and gave him the position of Grand Marshal.
How is this not a representation of the aura of an emperor?
Unfortunately, the great fortune teller Dong Fu died of illness a few years ago and was unable to leave him any further instructions.
Fortunately, the good place of Yizhou brought him Madam Lu.
The wife of this second-generation successor of Tianshi Dao was well versed in the theories of ghosts, gods and fortune-telling. With her many predictions about the affairs in Yizhou, she successfully gained the trust of Liu Yan.
She was sitting in front of Liu Yan at this time.
It is true what the people of Yizhou say about her being good at maintaining her appearance. This woman already has five children and is nearly fifty years old, but she still looks like she is in her early thirties.
Liu Yan watched her actions closely and saw her looking down at the paper figurine standing in the rice basin in front of her. She was muttering something and thinking about the questions he had asked Mrs. Lu. She couldn't help feeling a little nervous.
However, the moment Mrs. Lu suddenly opened her eyes, the paper figure in the basin suddenly went out of fire.
Liu Yan was almost startled, but he still remained sitting where he was to ensure his dignity as a governor.
When the fire in front of him burned out, he asked slowly, "I remember I asked you to predict my future. This doesn't seem to be a good sign?"
Madam Lu looked at him and replied in a voice so light that it was almost ethereal, "My Lord, I'm afraid a disaster is about to happen."
But if Madam Lu was willing to tell Liu Yan the truth, she would probably tell him that there are certainly no gods or ghosts in this world, and her lighting of the fire was just a small trick at best.
It's just that she and Zhang Lu are used to cooperating with each other, so Liu Yan has already believed that this is not just some trick.
That's enough.
In fact, long before Liu Yan came to her today, the news that Zhang Lu had driven Xu Shu and Gai Xun out of Wudu County had already been delivered to Madam Lu via express horse.
Thinking of seeking justice for her son, she immediately decided to exaggerate the matter.
Just say that Liu Yan is about to be in big trouble!
But just as she finished her words, she heard someone coming to report to Liu Yan: "My Lord! News has come from Hanzhong. The court in Chang'an has just been established. The emperor has sent an envoy to appoint you as the general! The envoy is on the way to Chengdu."
Liu Yan was stunned for a moment when he heard this.
But after realizing the message in this sentence, he suddenly laughed out loud while touching the table.
When the Chang'an court was first established, he was appointed as the general?
He turned to Madam Lu and said, "It seems that you have miscalculated for once. You have only been demoted from Grand Marshal to General. What kind of disaster is this?"
This should even be considered a happy event.
A happy event that the Chang'an court showed goodwill to him!
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