Chapter 47 Gui Yang decided to expand the territory for the king...
For the princes of the world, September this year is a very important day.
After he was crowned king, all the princes' eyes fell on Jingchang. They were waiting for the emperor's reaction, whether he would be angry and do nothing, or would he be angry and send troops. No matter which reaction it was, they had already prepared a response plan.
As a result, Jingchang did not make any movement.
The emperor ignored everyone, and the ministers who wrote to teach the princes a lesson did not receive a reply from the emperor.
It was as if the emperor had not heard the news.
Although they knew that this situation was great news for them, that if the emperor did not pursue the matter, they would be able to successfully become kings and would be able to fight only for themselves in the future without being controlled by the emperor, the calmer the emperor was, the more they felt something was wrong.
Something is very wrong.
Could it be that the emperor is secretly planning some huge plan, and now it is just calm on the surface?
Thinking of this, the princes felt relieved. They were not afraid that the emperor would cause trouble, they were only afraid that things would completely get out of their control.
Of course Shen Zhiwei would not have any reaction, her only reaction was to be crazy with joy.
The ones who reacted most strongly were the officials of Jingchang. Whether out of loyalty to Shen Zhiwei or out of concern for their own future, they could not bear to watch the princes become kings. However, the emperor did not give any order. Even if they were extremely anxious, they could not teach those princes a lesson on behalf of the emperor.
What's more, there are too many princes who want to be kings, and they cannot declare war on them all at the same time. Although Jingchang seems to have become much stronger after swallowing up Bian some time ago, in fact, the people know their own business. Jingchang is now only good on the surface. Due to the lack of manpower inside, many places are not able to operate.
Even Wen Tao, who was eager to teach the princes a lesson, couldn't look outside. She was implicated by the chaos inside.
Wen Tao wrote to the king for three consecutive days, requesting the king to accept talented people from all over the world as officials to fill vacancies.
Whenever Shen Zhiwei saw similar requests, he would have a headache for a while.
Because Wen Tao was not the only one who wrote the letter asking for people, there were notices everywhere asking for people. I don’t know if it was because of the turbulent external environment, but in recent days, many common people came to Jingchang. They often brought their families with them, and each time they came, they would bring a small clan of about a hundred people.
Jingchang does not face much pressure on food, but there are too few people to manage it. This is fine in the short term, but over time, those common people who are left unmanaged may, for various reasons, go on the path of breaking the law and become a factor that undermines the social stability of Jingchang.
Shen Zhiwei also didn't want to have to be on guard against assassins appearing anywhere at any time when he went out in the future.
She must not die halfway through her country's destruction and her entrepreneurship!
So, Shen Zhiwei nodded, opened up the channels for communication and recruited talents.
The way to select officials these days is very simple, mainly based on the recommendation system.
Because the population is small, social assets are relatively small and most of them are privately owned, so there is no need for so many people to manage them.
However, the situation near Jingchang was special. Shen Zhiwei had turned almost all private property into public property. The common people held a 70-year land use qualification. The land nominally belonged to the king, but in reality it was theirs.
Therefore, there will be a lot of public property that needs to be managed.
Most of the common people are still common people. They have not become tenants or hidden households of the aristocratic families, nor have they become slave merchants. Therefore, they also need a lot of people to manage them.
Almost all those who could be recommended for official positions already held official positions. The ministers were forced into a corner and had no choice but to seek help from Shen Zhiwei, the king who didn't care about the affairs.
If the recommendation system could quickly increase the number of staff, they would have done it themselves long ago, and there would be no need for Shen Zhiwei to find a solution.
Shen Zhiwei felt that the recommendation system could not be abolished so quickly. Then she checked carefully and found that the recommendation system was indeed completely abolished, because those who could come had come, and those who couldn't come would not come at all.
This time, the princes proclaimed themselves kings, but the emperor turned a deaf ear to it, causing many talented people from other princes' territories to feel that they had no future with the emperor, and it would be better for them to stay in their hometowns, where they could assist the king and take care of their families, killing two birds with one stone.
It turned out that in the end it was Shen Zhiwei's own fault. She did not resist, which led to a significant decline in Jingchang's ability to attract talents from outside.
This eventually led to a labor shortage, and she had to fill the gap herself.
Shen Zhiwei was so angry at the truth that she laughed. On the one hand, she was perfunctory to her ministers, assuring them that there would be a way to appease them, while on the other hand, she was secretly playing bad things.
There is a way, but she doesn't want to do it.
She could improve grain varieties, promote agriculture and sericulture, forge iron tools and make paper for her own food, drink and entertainment, but she could not take out the examination system and the school system.
Other things are just gadgets. They cannot change the overall environment of the times, nor can they make Jingchang soar to success. But the imperial examinations and schools are not enough.
Having been a student for so many years, taking exams whenever he had nothing to do, Shen Zhiwei understood too well how powerful these two things were.
She absolutely, absolutely would not bring up the imperial examinations and schools!
absolute!
Shen Zhiwei swore silently in her heart, but after two days, she began to waver.
In fact, as long as we don't take out the schools that train students like an assembly line, and don't take out the entire imperial examination system with a complete process for selecting officials from the grassroots, it is unlikely that Jingchang will soar to the sky, right?
Shen Zhiwei lay in bed late at night and began to ask himself.
The answer is actually very vague.
Shen Zhiwei didn't know how much impact producing the semi-finished product would have on Jingchang. Making a decision is always a difficult thing.
She just couldn't keep playing dumb any longer.
The ministers are pushing too hard, and having enough officials is a positive factor for social stability. Only when the society is stable can the people live a good life.
She didn't want a group of common people with their families to come here and find out that Jingchang was not as good as the legend said, but made their lives worse, and then they began to regret trusting the emperor.
It was terrifying to think about it. She absolutely couldn't let that happen! She could destroy her country, but she couldn't let so many people suffer with her.
She is a kind person at heart and cannot bear to watch such a thing happen.
So, one morning, the king, with thick dark circles under his eyes, called Wen Tao into the palace and arranged the first talent selection examination.
Regardless of background or gender, talented people can participate. The leaders of each unit will set the questions themselves, and the talents are selected to work for them. If you really select a bunch of losers, don't complain about lack of manpower in the future. If something goes wrong, you will have to bear the consequences yourself, no matter if it is a minor crime that will result in reprimand, or a serious crime of confiscation of property and extermination of the clan.
Shen Zhiwei stacked his armor and took off his responsibility.
If this were to happen in later generations, the literati would definitely criticize him to death. No one has ever seen such an irresponsible emperor. His ministers work for him, but the emperor doesn't care about anything?
In the Zhou Dynasty, where there was no such thing as examinations to select talents, Wen Tao thought everything Shen Zhiwei said was fine.
Originally, this selection method was also a method that was forced upon the king by his ministers. The king was willing to make concessions for his ministers and come up with such a novel method. This is already a sign of his kindness. As a minister, we should be grateful.
What if some officials do not work hard or do things perfunctorily?
That would naturally be done according to the king's order. No matter what mistakes the selected person made, we would just have to find trouble with the minister who let him in.
Shen Zhiwei was very satisfied when she saw Wen Tao didn't ask anything and just did whatever she asked.
If Gui Yang were here, she would probably exaggerate the situation and try to get things done well to satisfy her as the king.
Shen Zhiwei had no problem with Gui Yang's flattery whenever she got the chance, she just had a problem with Gui Yang's ability to always get things done as she asked.
Why do we have to do everything well?
Have you forgotten that our goal is to destroy the country?
Well, only Shen Zhiwei herself knows that her purpose is to destroy the country, not to build it.
Her confidants are working hard to build the country.
Shen Zhiwei's eyes flickered for a moment, and then came back again, the guilty conscience brought about by her damn high sense of morality.
Shen Zhiwei was thinking about Gui Yang, and Gui Yang was thinking about Hu Youan.
Hu Youan has already set off for Jingchang and should arrive in the next two days. After he receives the reward, he will be arranged again. He will most likely be sent by Shen Zhiwei to camp and train troops near Yongming City.
Gui Yang was wondering what reasons he should use to convince Hu Youan to lead the troops to expand the territory for the king.
In the past, the term "expanding territory" was not quite appropriate to describe the attack on the vassal states, because in name those vassal states were still the territories of the emperor.
Now there is nothing inappropriate about it, and the princes have become kings.
When Gui Yang heard the news of the king's declaration, she was so angry that she laughed. There were already signs that a big country would declare itself a king, and the king of Yun State could not help but be the first to step forward. Gui Yang was prepared for this and was not too angry.
The key point is that those small princes followed the big princes and began to become kings one after another.
How dare they!
Jingchang is at most a big country, but can't it defeat those small countries?
This is good. In this way, taking the initiative to attack a small country can be considered a legitimate move.
Without this excuse to become king, it would be impossible to fight against those small countries that are trying to please both sides.
The only difficulty is that without the king's order, Hu Youan will not take the initiative to attack.
Before, Hu Youan was in Taisheng, and she attacked Bian State on the orders of Wen Tao. At that time, Hu Youan had relatively few soldiers under his command, and he mobilized the troops on his own. He only needed to explain it to the king afterwards, and the king would not be too harsh on her.
Now Hu Youan has not only many brave generals under his command, but also several deputy generals. The number of soldiers has already exceeded 5,000, and the vanguard army has more than 10,000. With so many soldiers, he must get the king's order before moving. Hu Youan dare not act rashly.
Gui Yang wanted to ask the king first, but the king was kind and did not like to take the initiative to mobilize troops. Gui Yang admired the king for his compassion for the people in troubled times, but in the fight for the world, if he did not take the initiative to attack, he would not be able to seize the initiative and would only be beaten passively.
After a few days, Gui Yang received the news that Hu Youan would stay in Jingchang for seven days. At the same time, she also received better news. The king appointed Hu Youan as the General of the Central Army, and he had the right to lead troops on his own initiative. However, he could not lead a large army directly, and could only mobilize a maximum of two thousand soldiers.
If there is a sudden attack from foreign enemies, you can control the entire army regardless of the consequences.
Shen Zhiwei found it troublesome, and she thought it was normal for a general to disobey the emperor's orders when he was away from home. The emperor did not have clairvoyance and could not know what was happening thousands of miles away. Local affairs had to be decided by local officials and generals.
When Gui Yang heard the news, she was both happy and sad. She was happy that he didn't have to worry about not being able to send troops, but she was sad that the king really trusted the General of the Central Army.
Hu Youan was given such great power to mobilize troops. You should know that the monarchs of some small vassal states may not be able to mobilize 2,000 troops at once.
Two thousand soldiers are not just two thousand soldiers, they also represent tens of thousands of logistics personnel behind them, and a vanguard that is twice as many as the soldiers. All in all, the number can exceed 20,000.
The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. Gui Yang made up his mind that he must let the king see his value and he would prove it to the king!
He, Gui Yang, is the king's most capable assistant!
Hu Youan stayed in Jingchang for only ten days. When the time came, she immediately left Jingchang with her deputy.
During these ten days, he spent nine days in the palace, and the mansion that Shen Zhiwei rewarded to Hu Youan was all occupied by Hu Youan's deputies.
The deputies were all puzzled. Why would the general choose to serve as the king's guard in the palace when he had a nice house to live in? This was like asking for trouble.
Hu Youan was very glad that the king was still willing to let her be a guard, which showed his trust in her!
Moreover, she likes to guard the king in the palace. After she was rescued by the king, she had only one idea in her mind, that is, she would always protect the princess and use her life to do anything for her.
Now, this idea has not changed, but has become even stronger.
The king treats her very well, and she will definitely repay the king for his kindness.
When Hu Youan led his troops out of the city, an ox cart passed by. Inside the cart, a young girl lifted the curtain and looked out, and happened to see the backs of the soldiers.
"General Hu Youan..."
"What is the girl looking at?"
The maid looked outside in confusion, but this time she could only see an even more blurry figure.
"How come there are so many soldiers in Jingchang City, and they are so ostentatious?"
The maid frowned slightly, with a hint of rejection and disgust in her eyes.
Qiong Yu frowned, and the warmth in her eyes instantly turned cold. She said softly, "Jingchang is different from Yongming. After I see Senior Sister Wen Tao, you can go back to Yongming with the others. Your parents and relatives are all in Yongming, so it's not easy to travel far."
The maid had no idea that she had angered Qiong Yu, and was quite happy to hear this.
The road from Yongming to Jingchang is easy to travel, because this road is a trade route for transporting refined salt, so there are always soldiers patrolling and no bad guys causing trouble. There were a total of five slaves escorting Qiong Yu here this time. They traveled together and were safe on the road.
The reason why Qiong Yu sent away all the servants who had been with her for two years was because she could see that these servants looked down on Jingchang in their hearts.
In the past, Yongming City was one of the largest cities in the world and a prestigious academic capital. Jingchang was home to the impoverished royal family. In the eyes of the people of Yongming City, Jingchang was no different from a small country town.
After Qiong Yu knew what these people were thinking, she never thought about changing them.
There is no need. Just let them go home and find a new group of slaves in Jingchang. Why make them suffer and make yourself uncomfortable?
After years of traveling around, Qiong Yu has met all kinds of people. The biggest feeling these experiences have given her is that you should not try to convince anyone with just words.
People can only figure things out after they hit a wall. Nothing can be changed by just talking.
Qiong Yu quickly put the issue of the servants behind her and began to think about the scene she had just seen. That should be the king's favorite general Hu Youan.
I don’t know what the king will choose next. After Hu Youan leaves Jingchang, where will the horses’ hooves go?
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