Chapter 340 Liu Xie, finally came to this point

Cao Cao died. According to Jin Mao's previous personality, he would definitely find a reason to kill Cao Cao's entire family and exterminate all three clans.

But it is different now.

Cao Cao's words before his death had spread throughout Luoyang. Everyone was keeping an eye on Cao's mansion, but Jin Mao had to send people to guard it.

Because no matter who wants to destroy the Cao family, everyone will throw dirty water on Jin Mao.

There are no powerful princes outside. All Jinmao needs to do is to live in harmony with the people and fight against the nomadic peoples in the north.

The Northern Huns and Xianbei are not very strong now, but they are good at guerrilla warfare, which is very annoying.

Jinmao is not without ideas, he is also capable of guerrilla warfare!

It’s just that the lucky person to serve as the springboard has not yet been chosen.

The nomadic peoples are all scattered. Jinmao only needs to pick out a few middle and upper tribes to support them, annex the large tribes, and then repeat the cycle a few times to eliminate all the disobedient ones.

This plan is time-consuming, but it can solve the problem of promotion of northern cavalry units.

The only trouble is the 200,000 professional soldiers. They definitely cannot be disbanded, but some of them can be sent to counties and prefectures as grassroots military officers to specialize in maintaining stability and cracking down on evil forces.

There were about 150,000 people left, with 50,000 elite infantrymen left to guard the capital Luoyang, and the rest all transferred to the navy to make money.

Before the army is fully staffed with 300,000 soldiers, 50,000 new soldiers can be recruited every year. After the army is fully staffed, 10,000 to 20,000 soldiers can be recruited every year to make up for the consumption.

The elite troops guarding Luoyang have to be replaced constantly to maintain their combat effectiveness. In addition, if there is a rebellion or foreign invasion, a standing army will be needed to go out.

This plan was rejected by all the civil and military officials in the court before it was implemented.

That day, in the court.

Liu Xie watched with tacit approval as his ministers accused Jin Mao of warmongering and wanting to destroy the country. They all said that the country was now at peace and that they should live in harmony with the people rather than continue to strengthen their military power.

Jin Mao looked at Liu Xie and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, you have crossed the line."

As soon as these words were spoken, the ministers were immediately infuriated, and they all wanted to argue with Jin Mao with their bare hands.

"Get out!"

Dian Wei walked out from behind Jin Mao and roared, forcing the ministers to retreat. Dong Xi drew his sword and protected Jin Mao from behind.

When everything calmed down, Liu Xie bravely said, "Uncle, I have not crossed the line. I will govern the government and you will govern the army. This is what you promised me, right?"

"Yes, that's right." Jin Mao said, "But all I mentioned today were military issues. What does it have to do with governance?"

Liu Xie gradually grew bolder and said, "Since ancient times, the military and politics have been inseparable. The money and food needed to run the army must also be derived from the government. Your uncle should understand this principle."

"Ah!"

Jin Mao sneered, and Liu Xie panicked again. "Is this what your majesty wants, or is this the advice of a certain minister?"

Liu Xie's eyes involuntarily looked in a certain direction inside the hall.

Jin Mao looked over and unexpectedly saw an acquaintance.

"Liu Bei?"

"Why are you here?"

Jin Mao took all precautions, but still couldn't prevent Liu Bei from seeking death.

"Greetings to His Majesty the King of Wu." Liu Bei showed his silver seal and purple ribbon and said, "Thanks to your majesty's kindness, I am now the Grand Herald."

Liu Biao retired and Liu Bei took over.

Jin Mao didn't expect that in just a few years, Liu Xie had accomplished so many great things.

"Xuan De is really good at this!"

Jin Mao thought that there must be some ridiculous and tragic incident involving the secret letter.

"However, Liu Bei, you made a wrong calculation!"

Jin Mao turned to look at Liu Xie and asked, "Your Majesty, are you going to break our agreement today?"

Liu Xie looked at Liu Bei at a loss.

"Bold!" Liu Bei grasped the hilt of the sword, took a few steps forward, and forced Jin Mao to retreat again and again.

In terms of military strength, Jin Mao has no confidence in fighting Liu Bei in a one-on-one fight.

"You are a relative of the Han Dynasty. Now that the world is pacified, you should return power to Your Majesty. Why did you agree to this?"

Liu Bei asked loudly, "Do you want to be like Dong Zhuo?"

"Humph!" Jin Mao snorted angrily, flicked his sleeves and said, "Dismiss!"

The soldiers inside and outside the hall entered instantly and escorted Jin Mao away.

In the hall, Liu Xie looked at Liu Bei in panic and asked, "Is it really okay for Lord Xuande to offend the emperor's uncle this time?"

Liu Bei said righteously: "Your Majesty, please don't call that traitor the emperor's uncle!"

"Every man has his share of responsibility for the rise and fall of his country, let alone me, as a descendant of the Han Dynasty. How can I sit idly by and watch the country fall into the hands of treacherous villains? What I'm doing today is not to show off my bravery for a moment, but to protect the foundation of our great Han Dynasty, return power to Your Majesty, and let the people of the world see peace again." Liu Bei's eyes were like torches, and his words revealed an unquestionable firmness.

"But..." Liu Xie looked worried, "Jin Mao has great power in the government and has followers all over the country. Lord Xuande's trip may bring endless disasters."

"Your Majesty, rest assured. Although I am not talented, I have righteous men who are willing to follow me to death. There are also people of integrity and lofty ideals in the world who are committed to the Han Dynasty and will join us in this righteous cause. Jin Mao and his ilk are only rampant for a while and will eventually be drowned by the tide of history." Liu Bei turned around and said loudly to the civil and military officials in the hall, "My fellow officials, we should work together to eliminate the evil and restore the glory of the Han Dynasty, and live up to the will of the late emperor!"

When the ministers heard this, some showed hesitation, while others showed approval. After a while, several loyal and upright old ministers came forward to express their support to Liu Bei and vowed to accompany him to face the national crisis.

Seeing this, Liu Bei felt relieved and turned to Liu Xie and said, "Your Majesty, I would like to immediately organize the army and prepare for war, and at the same time contact the princes in various places to fight against Jin Mao together. I hope Your Majesty will approve it and give me the axe and the staff so that I can act."

Liu Xie's eyes gleamed when he heard this. He knew that this was his only chance to revive the imperial power, so he nodded and agreed, saying, "Lord Xuande is a loyal and brave man. I trust you. I hope you will return victoriously soon and restore peace to the Han Dynasty!"

Liu Bei bowed, then turned around and strode out of the hall, his blood boiling. He knew that the opportunity had come.

...

April.

Since the last split in the court, Jin Mao withdrew his troops from Luoyang, divided his troops to guard the eight passes of Luoyang, and relocated all the people who were willing to move away.

From then on, no one inside would be allowed to come out, and if someone outside wanted to go in, they would not be stopped.

Secondly, a training class for generals was set up, and Zhang Fei and Guan Yu were invited to join it, under the pretext of preparing them for promotion to general.

Zhang Fei and Guan Yu did not think much about it, and happily took over and came to Nanyang, Jingzhou.

But smart people could tell at a glance that the atmosphere was not right and the Southern Army was extremely nervous.

The soldiers thought that they would have to fight more, but after asking around, they didn't hear of any enemy anywhere that was worth treating like this.

In April, the northern nomadic peoples would not move south. They couldn't possibly attack us from the sea. That would be a fantasy.

The Confederate Army's powerful navy became a mere decoration.

But Jinmao has a more important thing to do.

The election of generals in Jiaozhou should also come to an end, and the first general-level military rank will be born. He Qi, Huang Gai, Zhou Tai, and Gong Lei return to Nanyang County in Jingzhou. Jin Mao will not only announce the winner, but also confer the title of the first general-level military rank.

With vigorous publicity, this ceremony became the biggest event of the year, with all the leaders present and a gathering of stars and generals.

The first day of May.

Jin Mao awarded the ranks of lieutenant general and major general to He Qi and Gong Lei respectively.

Huang Gai and Zhou Tai met the requirements in all aspects, but unfortunately their military management skills were lacking. There were constant rebellions in the counties under their jurisdiction, and public security was poor.

All we can say is that the two have little contact with the mountain people and do not understand what they are thinking, so there is room for improvement.

Of course, Jinmao did not strangle the two's future. Not only did it not demote them, it also promoted them.

Huang Gai became the governor-general of the navy, in charge of the navy of the four southern states. Zhou Tai became the deputy governor-general and planned to build a navy in the Yellow River basin.

Therefore, everyone knew that these two would definitely become generals in the future; it was just a matter of time.

On the same day, Jinmao announced that the five main camps would be dispersed to five major regions across the country to prepare for the establishment of five military regions, which was basically the same as in later generations.

Gong Lei and He Qi became generals of the Yangzhou and Jiaozhou Military Regions, Zhou Yu became a deputy of the Yizhou Military Region, the main and deputy positions of Liang and Bing were vacant and were temporarily taken over by Jin Mao, and Yu Fan became a deputy of the Jizhou Military Region.

With the return of the Imperial Guards, Jin Mao expanded them into the Huben Army based on this, which was composed of the Officer Training Corps, the Imperial Guards, the Huben Guards, and the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

In addition to protecting Jin Mao's safety, the Imperial Guards no longer perform any other tasks. Their training content is similar to that of the Officer Training Corps, and they will become a future officer training school.

The Huben Guards are composed of elite troops sent by the five major military regions, and are responsible for all the chores of the former Imperial Guards.

As the name suggests, Jinyiwei only listens to Jin Mao. Its members are the best security personnel in various counties. Those who come into contact with Jinyiwei can become officials but not join the army.

Outstanding members of the Huben Guards can be promoted to the Imperial Guard School. Outstanding members of the Imperial Guards can join the Officer Training Corps and be sent out if they pass the test.

In terms of governance.

Jinmao completely took back the emperor's power of appointment and dismissal, immunity, and governance. Everything was based on the orders issued by the Prince of Wu's Palace. If any county did not obey, they would be labeled as rebels, and the Jinyiwei would step in to massacre the opponents, disperse the people, and reorganize them in the neighboring counties.

In agriculture.

Jinmao respects the northern climate. While maintaining the original crops in the areas north of the Huai River, it vigorously builds infrastructure and conducts household registration checks. Violators will be beheaded at the lightest and exterminated along with their entire family at the worst.

In one round of census, the eight northern states had an additional five million people, bringing the total population to over 15 million.

After a round of killing, there were two million more people. If the south was included, the total population would be close to 40 million.

With such a vast land and so many people, Jin Mao was seriously short of officials.

Therefore, the colleges and universities that Kan Ze was in charge of released students who had been in school for more than three years to enter politics in advance, and a total of more than 12,000 people were released.

Although not much was given out, it solved the urgent problem and was able to barely support the operation of the system.

Jinmao also gives everyone an opportunity to report their work to him in writing every year.

Of course, Jinmao will not read these documents personally, but he will order people to count the key issues mentioned in them so that they can be brought up for resolution at the meeting next year.

If someone reports corruption or bribery, there is nothing to say, just go through the process, and the crime of false accusation and frame-up will be a more serious one!
In addition, Jinmao selected and bred excellent wheat and corn varieties in the north, and after improvement, they were planted with good results.

There are also arrangements for the development of water systems in Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Jizhou, Qingzhou and Xuzhou, and the development of animal husbandry in Youzhou, Liangzhou and Bingzhou.

The whole world feels prosperous.

Of course, these are all things to follow.

May 1st, dinner.

Zhang Fei was heartless and competed with others in drinking. When he was happy, he even wanted to fight. His drinking behavior was really bad.

Guan Yu looked gloomy. Until now, there was no news about his elder brother Liu Bei, and the sensitive Guan Yu felt that something was wrong.

Thinking about all the things that had happened recently, Guan Yu had a terrible guess in his mind, but he was not sure.

In terms of military achievements and relationships, Guan Yu felt that he was not worthy of being promoted to a general, at least he was far inferior to Zhang Fei.

But why did he have to give up his position in the main battalion this time to join the Shilaozi officer training corps?
But Guan Yu was most reluctant to think about this.

The world is different now than it was before. If you want to seek refuge outside, the only people left are foreigners.

Among the Thirteen States of the Han Dynasty, the people at the top were all Jin Mao's subordinates, and the rest were just a bunch of random people, not as famous as Guan Yu.

Guan Yu wanted to say arrogantly: "I don't dare to do it anymore! Whoever loves me can do it!"

The result will only become a laughing stock.

Just when Guan Yu was feeling sorry for himself, his good friend Zhang Liao sat down next to him.

"What is troubling Yunchang?"

Zhang Liao has been promoted very quickly. He is now the deputy general of the fourth battalion and will be the backbone of a military region in the future. However, he is still far from Guan Yu.

"Your Highness has treated you well." Zhang Liao shook his head and said, "Yunchang, don't be ungrateful."

The two were from the same hometown, and Guan Yu got along very well with Zhang Liao. Since they met, the two had talked about almost everything.

"Wenyuan doesn't know what I'm worried about." Guan Yu picked up the wine jar and drank it in one gulp.

Zhang Liao laughed and said, "How can I know if you don't tell me?"

"You wouldn't understand even if I told you."

"Why not talk about it?"

"I'm afraid it will affect Wenyuan's future."

Zhang Liao waved his hand and said, "Forget it, it's better if you don't say anything. If you look down on me like this, you will no longer have me as your friend!"

After that, Zhang Liao was about to leave angrily, but Guan Yu quickly stopped him and sighed, "I'll tell you what I'm saying."

This time Zhang Liao sat down with satisfaction and said, "I'm all ears."

Guan Yu sighed again and said, "You know I have two sworn brothers. To be honest, my sworn brother has not returned since he entered Luoyang, and he has not sent any letters."

Zhang Liao's face turned serious in an instant, and he looked around before asking, "Have you ever told Zhang Yide about this?"

"No." Guan Yu shook his head and said, "Yide has an impatient temper. If he knew about this, he would rush into Luoyang regardless of everything. Not only would he fail to save my brother, but he might also put himself in danger." Guan Yu frowned, his eyes full of worry. "After thinking it over, I can only consult you, Zhang Wenyuan. You are both wise and brave, and you are thoughtful. You will definitely be able to help me."

Zhang Liao's expression became serious after hearing this. He pondered for a moment and said, "Brother Yunchang is right. The current situation is complicated and changeable, and Luoyang is even more dangerous. However, since your elder brother Liu Bei's life and death are uncertain, we can't just sit back and do nothing. But the action needs to be carefully planned and not act rashly."

"That's exactly what I mean." Guan Yu nodded. "I want to send spies to sneak into Luoyang first to find out where my elder brother is and the situation in the city, and then make plans. But now I have no soldiers and no power, what can I do?"

Zhang Liao pondered for a moment, a gleam in his eyes, and said, "Leave this matter to me. I have several scouts under my command who make a living by gathering intelligence. They are very skilled and familiar with the terrain of Luoyang. They may be of use."

"That's great!" Guan Yu was delighted and thankful. "Brother Wenyuan, I feel relieved to have you by my side. When the spies bring back the news, we will discuss a rescue plan."

Three days later, Zhang Liao was invited to have tea, while Guan Yu was ordered to be sent to work as a cook because his left foot entered the classroom first.

Guan Yu resigned in anger and disappeared afterwards.

(End of this chapter)