Three Kingdoms

"This is someone's fault..."

Xun or sighed.

As Cao Cao's chief think tank, whether he was confident or arrogant, Xun You felt that he should be the first to notice and take targeted measures.

So Xun probably felt quite guilty in his heart.

In fact, this is understandable, after all, no one is perfect. In the previous period, most of Xun Yu's energy was attracted to the Yingchuan area in Xu County, and naturally he paid less attention to the Jizhou area.

This time Xun or he came to Jizhou with the intention of getting out of the vortex, but Xun or he didn't expect to jump out of one Yingchuan vortex and fall into another vortex...

Chen Qun, who was beside Xun or, couldn't help but blush a little.

You know, it was Chen Qun who came first, why...

Ahem, don't worry about anything else. Just saying that Chen Qun is near Yecheng and has complicated affairs is indeed an oversight.

But it was indeed Chen Qun who was slacking off a bit.

Even if Xun Wu didn't say it, Chen Qun realized it immediately.

When people stay in one place for a long time, they will inevitably develop a habitual thinking. Chen Qun was no exception. Time and time again in Yecheng, in order to avoid conflicts, shirk responsibilities, and for his own stability, he would not make decisions or offend others, although every time Chen Qun would feel that he was handing the conflict over to Cao Cao. Dealing with it is out of respect for Cao Cao and is the most appropriate choice...

However, it now seems that after handing over conflicts again and again, Chen Qun lost his acumen in judging and resolving conflicts.

Chen Qun felt ashamed.

Because this matter, no, this series of matters, if we really study it, there should be signs already, but Chen Qun has not discovered it, let alone solved it.

After all, this is not a matter of one place, nor is it a problem of one noble family, but involves many people and extends to many places. At the same time, the more elaborate and complex a plan is, the more links and steps it involves, and the more prerequisites it needs to succeed. And during the progress of the plan, it is easier for unexpected deviations to occur.

What's more, when mutual interests are involved and cooperation from many parties is required, it is naturally not incredible that Xun or has noticed the changes in the overall incident.

What's incredible is that Chen Qun should have been able to detect it...

Previously, Cui Yan of Jizhou united some nobles and nobles to compete with Cao Cao. The combined force was not weak, and the righteousness they occupied was not low. However, the final result was nothing more than trouble and delay, and there was no What a setback to Cao Cao's strength.

Subsequently, under Cao Cao's policy of differentiation, Cui Yan and others became dependent on each other, and the entire Jizhou gentry system was unable to form a unified force, and became a piece of loose sand again, scattered in various places.

It is said that nothing great can be accomplished by a mob, that is what it is.

This may be one of the reasons why Chen Qun relaxed his vigilance.

It's just that for these ragtag groups, although they can't work together to achieve big things, their ability to disperse and hold back is first-rate.

Just like the current situation.

"Hanoi...Zhongmu...Yijing...Jixian...Yuyang..."

Every time Xun Yu's hand crossed a location on the map, his expression condensed.

Chen Qun was standing aside, with the same clouded look on his face.

These locations are all connected to Hussar.

Cao Cao needed war horses and various supplies. After all, no matter what the relationship between Cao Cao and Fei Qian is, the specialties of each county are different. In addition, the productivity difference between Cao Cao's territory and Fei Qian's rule has led to more raw materials and low-value consumables flowing to Guanzhong. , and what comes from Guanzhong are high value-added and high-profit products...

It's like future generations will always earn hard-earned money from processing, while most of the profits are taken away by the upstream.

In the face of interests, the mob adopts similar methods. They don't think about the long term, or even about the country, but just think about making money for themselves.

In order to make money and make more money, these people invariably adopted various means. From south to north, from east to west, they seemed to have formed a huge network of relationships, an organizational system with entangled mutual interests!

The more I understand these potential relationships, a huge shadow seems to appear on the map, vaguely like a black hand, trying to turn Jizhou and surrounding counties upside down!

"Your Majesty, it is your intention that these people... are colluding with each other and conspiring to cause chaos?" ” Chen Qun said with a little solemnity, “Or... is it the Qiaoqi Rider Pen? 』

"It's unnecessary..." Xun You sighed slightly, "Maybe it's too early to say anything, but if we ignore it... I'm afraid there will be chaos sooner or later..."

At first, I thought it was just a case of corruption and smuggling business, but now it seems that the matter is serious!

Such a large scale cannot be said to be the means deployed by the Hussar!

If this is not handled well, it will turn into another rebellion!

Even if the arrest is carried out now, so many people are involved. If one fails, it will be easily misunderstood by the people of Jizhou that it is Yingchuan's "party struggle" to suppress Jizhou!

The lessons of the party's disaster are right in front of us. Wasn't it just that the last time Cao Cao swallowed his anger was just to prevent the situation from ending uneasily? And now we are seeing signs of this party struggle appearing again!

Party strife is not unique to later generations, nor did it appear only in the Han Dynasty.

As the political families of the Eastern Han Dynasty became increasingly powerful, the imperial power of the Eastern Han emperors declined day by day. Therefore, in order to revitalize the imperial power, starting from the two emperors He and An, the Qing faction, the eunuch faction and the foreign relatives faction became the main content of the political party struggle. .

As a result, the power struggle became what the eunuchs called "party formation for personal gain", the nobles called "eunuchs harming the country", and the relatives' "power is overwhelming"...

The establishment of the Eastern Han Dynasty was largely due to the power of powerful clans. Therefore, in order to maintain the foundation of rule, the Eastern Han government was in a state of compromise with the wealthy families and scholars to a certain extent. Scholars indeed have a lot of talents, but the corruption among the children of the gentry is getting worse and worse.

The rulers of the Eastern Han Dynasty gave the scholars a broad space and room for development both ideologically and economically. However, the short-sighted behavior of the scholars, especially the matter of "conquering the fields", made the scholars and the court begin to be suspicious of each other.

Just like this time, the root cause of the problem Xun He discovered was not only driven by interests, but also the struggle for power by local gentry.

Cao Cao wanted to change.

Xun may have known that he needed to change it.

But it’s hard to change.

This problem was originally brought up in the mother-in-law of the Han Dynasty, and the "dual monarch" ruling system has never grown well.

The local governors of the Han Dynasty were very powerful. They had judicial power, inspection power, expulsion power, and the power to appoint their own county magistrates and magistrates. When the central dynasty was strong, it could constrain and regulate the independence of local forces. However, when the power of the central dynasty began to weaken, the independence of local forces became apparent.

Sour dates.

The second Yuan rebelled against Dong.

There are also eighteen princes and so on, which are all manifestations of this "dual monarch system".

So much so that the current governors...

Since local governors are free to recruit subordinates, these local officials are not responsible to the emperor, but to local officials. Local areas are more controlled by wealthy families. They themselves may be aristocratic families, and what they do naturally requires Consider the interests of your own family.

Cao Cao captured Jizhou. Just like inheriting an inheritance, you must also inherit liabilities. When Cao Cao obtained the remains left by Yuan Shao, he also took over the troubles left by Yuan Shao.

When Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty didn't take good care of it, how could Jizhou change for the better when it came to Han Fu? Then from Han Fu to Yuan Shao, can everyone change their looks at once? Then when Cao Cao changed the flag on the city, he could suddenly cleanse the hearts of all the officials in the city and completely change them into Cao Cao's shape?

Obviously impossible.

These problems finally broke out as they continued to accumulate.

Xun You and Chen Qun looked at each other, and a thought popped into their minds. Could it be that Qiaoqi knew about the reforms promoted by Cao Cao in Xu County and deliberately wanted to lead Jizhou and Yuzhou to fight? !

This is really a good method...

……(*≧∪≦)……

Xu County.

In the early morning, when Mao hour was approaching, it was still dark on the way to morning.

Xi Liu's expression was a bit complicated and thoughtful.

After all, this will be the first step in the rise of Xi Liu's ambition, and the risks of the next plan are indeed higher. However, once successful, it is impossible to say that he will really gain power and rise to a high position!

Instead of being marginalized with three or two big cats and kittens, without even a decent person looking at them!

In this world, things that cannot be looked at directly with naked eyes, besides the sun, there are also human hearts, which need to be covered up, otherwise, you will go blind.

Before the morning dynasty began, most of the officials in the dynasty were waiting outside the Meridian Gate.

Xi Liu looked around.

The scene outside the Meridian Gate was no different from usual. No one took Xi Lu seriously, and no one came up to say hello to Xi Lu. It was like him, the imperial censor, and the Prime Minister's second son was a fake. The same is true for both Microsoft and Panasonic.

Cao Cao usually arrives at a certain point, or even doesn't arrive.

After all, Cao Cao is the Prime Minister at the moment, and he has the privileges of the Prime Minister.

Just like this time, Cao Cao came slowly when the time was approaching.

As the bells of the Meridian Gate rang, the officials lined up in order, entered the square, lined up again in front of the Chongde Hall, and finally entered the hall to wait for the emperor's arrival...

After Xi Lu followed the officials into the Chongde Hall, the emperor did not arrive immediately. It was only after a cup of tea that the eunuch of Huangmen shouted "Your Majesty has arrived" in a high-pitched voice, and the emperor Liu Xie slowly walked back. Come on stage.

Xi Lu followed the officials and knelt down to greet him, but Cao Cao could stand.

Emperor Liu Xie sat on the throne and then moved a little. He didn't know whether it was because Liu Xie felt that he had hemorrhoids under his buttocks or because the angle of the chair was wrong. Anyway, he didn't respond immediately, but hesitated for a while before trying to look majestic. Slowly he raised his hand and said in a low voice: "Everyone loves me..."

Baiguan was not surprised by Liu Xie's attitude.

Including Cao Cao, Xi Lu and others returned to their seats one after another.

In fact, the emperor Liu Xie's efforts to show his majesty were actually a bit petty. Most of the officials knew what they meant, and they could not help but feel helpless.

But if it were Liu Xie's position, this was one of the few scenes where he showed his imperial dignity. Just like many companies in later generations stipulate that employees must wear so-called "formal attire." After all, no one may believe it if it is packaged, and no one will believe it if it is not packaged.

After all the officials stood up, Emperor Liu Xie didn't wait for the Huangmen eunuchs to shout, "If anything happens, report early, if nothing happens, retreat from the court." He immediately asked: "Xi Aiqing, Shi Taijian, should investigate and punish corrupt officials. Why?" The country divides its worries and is good at making up for the mistakes. Now that it has been some time since the establishment of the Yamen, has Ai Qing made any progress? Is everything going well? 』

This is another important reason why Xi Liu was forced to do something.

Of course, Liu Xie cannot be blamed for this. After all, when Xi Liu made a promise to Liu Xie, he patted his chest and gave assurances. However, when Liu Xie actually came forward to build the Yushitai, Xi Liu was just squatting in the pit. Can you do things without making Liu Xie anxious?

Ever since Cao Cao became prime minister, Emperor Liu Xie felt a direct threat.

This threat may be the influence of the past, it may be the legacy of the Han emperor and the prime minister falling in love and killing each other, or it may be some other factors. Liu Xie really felt that time could not wait for us.

Authority without checks and balances is very dangerous.

When Cao Cao beheaded people in front of the palace gate, the strong smell of blood often vaguely lingered on the tip of Liu Xie's nose, and then those heads rolling around like meatballs would jump out in front of his eyes.

Liu Xie didn't know whether Cao Cao would become Dong Zhuo's second in the future, and then he himself would become Liu Bian's second, and at some dusk or night, someone would force him to drink a glass of poisonous wine.

So he needs someone to check and balance Cao Cao, even if it is temporary or false.

It was Fei Qian before, but he couldn't command Fei Qian, and he was too far away.

So new people are needed.

Liu Xie knew that Xi Lu basically couldn't compete with Cao Cao, but he wanted to favor, support, and at the same time coerce Xi Lu to fight Cao Cao in the ring. If Xi Liu wins, it will naturally be the best. If he loses, it doesn't matter. Liu Xie has also shown doubtful "power" to support new forces. After all, there are always people who will rely on him. Xi Liu Er No., or Xi Lu No. 3.

Of course, this also requires a degree.

He couldn't confront Cao Cao directly, he could only poke him secretly.

That's why Liu Xie must follow the movements of Yushitai at all times. On the one hand, it is to urge, and on the other hand, it is also to control the direction of the burning fire in time, so as not to be too "sexy" all at once.

Xi Lu took advantage and established the Yushitai, but nothing happened, which naturally made Liu Xie unhappy.

Only then did the current questioning in court take place.

The eyes of all the officials turned to Xi Liu.

Xi Lu's heart tightened, and he bowed his head and stepped out of the queue, saying: "I... I have a memorial..."

Seeing Xi Lu's words and deeds, all the officials were stunned.

Then, although it was Xi Lu who came out, everyone in the palace, including the emperor Liu Xie, secretly looked at Cao Cao aside, but they saw that Cao Cao lowered his eyebrows, as if he didn't care.

The officials couldn't help but begin to exchange glances with each other. Does this mean that Xi Lu is going to confront Cao Cao head-on? He is really brave. Could it be that the heads he chopped off under the palace wall before were not enough to scare him?

Liu Xie's original inquiry was just to show his appreciation, and he was prepared to listen to Xi Liu's various reasons for continuing to delay. But now he saw that Xi Liu seemed to be ready to really report "important matters", and he also came a little more. Spirit, after taking a secret glance at Cao Cao, he coughed softly, "Accurate!" 』

Xi Lu still lowered his head, and then put on a slightly sad and guilty expression, "I... I'm so ashamed of Your Majesty... I don't know people well... I discovered a corruption case the day before yesterday, and was related to it." The Qingzhou soldiers were involved in the incident, bullying the people, involving several counties and villages, and thousands of people. However, it was such a big deal, I... I only realized it now... I am ashamed of your majesty, I am ashamed of your majesty! Please punish me, Your Majesty! 』

Then, Xi Lu buried his head and cried bitterly in front of the emperor and all the officials, with tears streaming down his face.

Xi Liu's report immediately shocked the entire court!

Even Cao Cao couldn't help but turn his head and look at Xi Lu for a moment. He didn't know if he was surprised by what Xi Lu said or because he admired Xi Lu's acting skills...

Suddenly, there was inevitably some chattering in the hall.

Liu Xie, who was on the throne, quickly glanced at Cao Cao, who was still silent. Then he couldn't help but straighten his body, thinking about Xi Lu with a solemn expression, and said: "Let's ignore the punishment for the time being. I love you, please explain the matter clearly." ! 』

Xi Liu cried and thanked Liu Xie for his kindness, then seemed to calm down and said: "This matter... is also related to the previous Qingzhou soldiers..."

"Oh oh oh..."

"hiss……"

Xi Lu just started talking, which caused all the officials to be astonished. Looking at Xi Lu, they couldn't help but feel a little more admiration. After all, no matter what age, people who dare to face life and death are worthy of admiration. of.

Is Yushitai really ready to do something? And why is there no movement at all about the Yushitai investigation case? Could it be that the Yushitai already has such means? This really makes people want to start to re-evaluate the energy of the Yushitai.

"quiet! ” Huangmen eunuch shouted loudly, maintaining order in the palace.

"..." Liu Xie took a deep breath. He hesitated. It was not a good thing to fall out with Cao Cao at this stage. "Xi Aiqing, the matter of Qingzhou soldiers has been settled for a long time. There is no need to discuss this matter anymore." 』

Qingzhou soldiers are the foundation of Cao Cao.

Sure enough, as Liu Xie finished speaking, Cao Cao's eyebrows drooped slightly.

"Your Majesty, what I am talking about is not referring to the Qingzhou soldiers, but was involved in it before..." Xi Lu cupped his hands and said, "Ahem, he is the son of the Kong family!" Confucius deceived the ministers with his clever words, so that the ministers were not bad for a while... I felt that such people must have committed more than one crime, so I sent someone to the State of Lu to verify..."

"After investigation, it was found that there were beetle officials causing trouble in the State of Lu!" The leader was none other than Kong Rong and Kong Wenju! In addition, it also included Ziqian of the Kong family, people related to the Kong family, and local officials of the Lu State, who had good relations with the Kong family, formed a party in the Lu State, deceived the superiors and concealed the inferiors, engaged in favoritism and corruption, and embezzled land. Fish place! Over the years, he has committed corruption and perverted the law no less than ten times, involving at least millions of dollars! This is actually a serious case of corruption. Your Majesty, please take a closer look! 』

Everyone was in an uproar, and in the midst of the uproar, Liu Xie didn't know what to say for a moment...