Chapter 183: Court Meeting
"General, there must be a misunderstanding!" Zhou Yu stepped forward and said.
"Hmm?" Guo Hao looked at Zhou Yu suspiciously.
"Lu Zijing is a great talent whom I invited from Jiangdong by letter. He should not be a representative of an aristocratic family."
With these words, Lu Su and others instantly understood that it was just a misunderstanding.
"Lu Zijing of Lu Su of Jiangdong greets the general!"
"Zhang Zhao and Zhang Zibu of Jiangdong greet the general!"
"Zhang Hong Zhang Zigang from Jiangdong greets the general!"
"Bashu Gan Ning Gan Xingba, greets the general!"
…
Guo Hao covered his face. Well, the Twelve Tiger Ministers of Jiangdong and the Four Governors of Dongwu formed a group to come to him for surrender, and then he almost wiped them out.
Although Lu Xun and Lu Meng are both young versions, they are also the future Grand Commanders of Jiangdong.
Guo Hao sent Chen Xi to chat with Lu Su and others, and ran to Gan Ning and others.
"I'm sorry for offending you, my fellow warriors. I will apologize to you all for the misunderstanding later."
Guo Hao bowed and clasped his fists, then untied Gan Ning and the others one by one.
"I was invited by Huang Hansheng from Jingzhou to come to Luoyang to serve the general. I didn't want this to happen!" Gan Ning had a painful look on his face. He was really speechless. Neither Xue Rengui nor Yuwen Chengdu would be able to take him down so quickly.
As a result, he was outnumbered two by one and had no power to fight back. The pain was comparable to the humiliation of being beaten by Huang Zhong.
"Mr. Han Sheng?" Guo Hao felt even more distressed. Huang Zhong had never told him about this person. How heartbroken would he be if Gan Ning and the others were killed today.
"Jiangdong Zhou Tai and Zhou Youping greet the general!"
"Donglai Taishi Ci and Taishi Ziyi greet the general!"
At this time, Zhou Tai and Taishi Ci, who were unconscious on the ground, also woke up slowly. After hearing the conversation between Gan Ning and Guo Hao, they were speechless. They didn't know who had blocked the knife for them and they had such bad luck.
They were all generous people, and after the misunderstanding was resolved, although they still had some grudges in their hearts, they no longer cared much about it.
After all, Guo Hao was a general in a high position of power, but he was willing to make an apology. The general environment made Guo Hao's apology very sincere.
After all, every word spoken by a celebrity is very precious.
Chen Xi on the other side couldn't bear to watch. Guo Hao, a general who held a high position but had no airs, was speaking his heart out to you. All the Jiangdong ministers were so moved that they were almost pouring out their hearts.
This is not the Zhou Dynasty, when King Wen pulled the cart for Jiang Taigong, nor is it the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, when the king whipped the famous scholars. This is the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Yuan Shao would even serve under an unlearned butcher like He Jin, let alone a young general like Guo Hao who was humble and had an impressive military record.
The ancients had no resistance to this at all. Even Lu Su and the two Zhangs were dizzy. Then everyone happily started the banquet. As for the representatives of the aristocratic families, Guo Hao gave the task of reception to Huangfu Song.
Since there is no way to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys today, then I will put you, Huangfu Song, on the stove and roast you. Don’t you like to be a fence-sitter? Today I will let you be a fence-sitter enough.
To be honest, Huangfu Song is indeed a formidable commander of a large army, but Guo Hao now has so many talented people under his command that he really doesn't care about Huangfu Song, especially since Huangfu Song and he are not on the same page.
This would not force Huangfu Song to make a pledge of allegiance, and Guo Hao himself would not be able to give an explanation to his civil and military officials.
At the banquet, a group of people toasted each other and soon fell into a joyful atmosphere. Then Lu Su and others bowed their heads without any hesitation.
They had already seen the manifestation of Guo Hao's abilities when they entered Luoyang, and now Guo Hao was sincere and devoted to them, so what were they waiting for if not to join them?
A monarch like Guo Hao, who holds great power and likes to let his subordinates do what they want, is the monarch that every capable minister dreams of.
It doesn’t matter what faults the monarch has, as long as he can select and appoint talented people, the monarch’s own problems are not important.
The story of Guan Zhong and Duke Huan of Qi has long illustrated this point. Duke Huan of Qi was a rogue monarch who was proficient in eating, drinking, whoring and gambling, and was good for nothing except his ability to judge people. Yet it was enough for him to be willing to give power to Guan Zhong. Guan Zhong directly gave Duke Huan of Qi the entire dominant position.
What's more, anyone with a little bit of common sense can see that the eldest princess can marry no one else but Guo Hao. Even if Guo Hao is not the next emperor, he is definitely a regent.
What’s more important is that Guo Hao, this role model of a great man, does not like to monopolize power. He is simply a good minister who is dedicated to serving the public.
There was nothing much to say. After Guo Hao discussed with Chen Xi, he went straight to the court to hold a meeting. Even the eldest princess was surprised.
You know, since Chen Xi came to power, the daily court meetings were directly changed to weekly meetings, and the meetings were full of boring moments, making the eldest princess feel that governing the country was just like this, and how her father almost destroyed the country.
After she personally took charge of governing the country, she found that it was not that difficult. She could ask Chen Xi for money and grain issues, Guo Hao for palace issues, and Zong Zheng for royal family issues...
There are corresponding talents to solve each type of problem. Even if she can't find the corresponding minister, she can just ask anyone recommended by the general for advice. Many problems that she thinks are difficult are easily solved by these people.
The last time she went out of the palace, she saw a homeless child on the street and felt very kind. After returning to the palace, she started looking for someone to solve his problem. After all, she was also a child who had experienced turmoil, and she knew very well how helpless the homeless children were.
Then, because she couldn't find Chen Xi and Guo Hao, she found Xun Yu who happened to pass by. She had heard from Guo Hao that Xun Yu was a talent comparable to Liu Hou, the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty.
Xun Yu didn't say anything and compiled a complete rescue plan for street children overnight. Then when the plan was handed to Chen Xi, Chen Xi immediately started to approve the money. This was also the first time that Chen Xi actually paid money.
Both Chen Xi and Guo Hao tend to ignore such things. The two are busy running around all day and rarely appear on the streets, so they sometimes ignore such problems, even though children are the future of the country.
Chen Xi was extremely heartbroken as he lost money for the first time, but he was destined to pay the money. It was impossible not to spend money on such a long-term project as education.
Even with his methods, this money is an inevitable loss. After all, making a profit from children may bring temporary benefits but will cause endless harm in the future.
Usually, the princess not only travels around, but also practices music, chess, calligraphy and painting to cultivate her sentiments. Except that Chen Xi would occasionally ask Guo Hao to come and inform her in advance of the process and significance of some important events, she has no pressure at all and sleeps until she wakes up naturally every day.
"Ying'er, Ying'er, get up and go to court!" Empress Dowager He gently woke up Princess Liu Ying.
The palace maids and eunuchs were also helpless. Liu Ying was good in every way, she was beautiful and kind-hearted, but she was grumpy when she woke up. They also ordered that except for the weekly routine court meetings, her rest must not be disturbed.
The palace maids and eunuchs were all veterans of the palace and they understood the situation in the court. Naturally, they did not dare to delay such an important matter as the general convening a court meeting, but Liu Ying gave another order.
Given their status, they did not dare to forcibly wake up the princess, so they had no choice but to ask Empress Dowager He from the harem for help.
Having experienced life in the palace for many years, the Empress Dowager's daily routine is naturally to go to bed early and get up early. There is no possibility of her staying in bed late, so the palace maids and eunuchs decided to come up with this last resort after discussing it. After all, this kind of thing is a difficult task no matter how you look at it.
"How dare I trouble my mother to come in person!" Liu Ying said rather awkwardly as she was getting dressed.
You know, she used to be a good girl who went to bed early and got up early. But she has become more and more lazy since she became the regent princess. Last time, she got angry and sent a palace maid to another courtyard. Although she was transferred back later, it left a shadow on the palace maids.
"Eh? Is it time to go to court again today? Didn't we just hold court the day before yesterday?"
When the eldest princess was suddenly pulled up from the bed by Empress He, she thought she had traveled through time, because she had just attended a court meeting the day before.
"Reporting to the Princess, today's court meeting was initiated by the general, and he specially asked me to come and invite you!" The palace maid waiting on the side said hurriedly.
"Oh oh oh! Hurry up and dress up for me, don't delay!" Liu Ying came to her senses on the spot. Guo Hao would not look for trouble. This kind of behavior must be a big move.
"Mother, would you like to go with me today?" Liu Ying asked Empress Dowager He as she was helped to stand up by the palace maid.
"Go ahead. I expect something big to happen today. It's only right for me to go and take a look." Empress Dowager He thought about it and decided to go with the eldest princess. She hadn't attended court for a long time since she realized that Chen Xi and his ministers governed the court very well, and that Guo Hao was a loyal minister among the loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty.
On weekdays, I am similar to Liu Ying. I study classics every day to enrich myself and make up for the regret of not being able to study in the past.
To be honest, this was the first time that Guo Hao took the initiative to convene a court meeting since he became the general.
No one dared to ignore this court meeting. Even the ministers who had taken sick leave hurriedly took tonics to recover.
It is obvious that Guo Hao is definitely making a big move, otherwise he would not have been able to convene a court meeting for the unprecedented time.
When the ministers entered the palace and found that the Princess and Empress Dowager He were both there for the first time, they were startled and felt that something big was going to happen.
Not long after, all the ministers arrived one after another. After seeing the eldest princess and the queen mother sitting on the throne, as well as the equally serious old ministers in the hall, they all sat in their seats with serious faces.
As Guo Hao's important officials arrived one after another, the atmosphere in the hall became extremely solemn. When Jia Xu appeared, this atmosphere was pushed to the extreme.
When Guo Hao and Chen Xi entered the hall, it was already packed with people. It could be said that it was the most crowded meeting.
"E Lai, Zhong Kang, the two of you will guard the gate in person. The security outside the hall will be guarded by the Sun Cavalry. This meeting is very important and I don't want anyone to disturb it." Guo Hao said solemnly to Xu Chu and Dian Wei.
"Yes!" Xu Chu and Dian Wei clasped their fists and blocked the entrance to the hall like door gods.
The two men's burly bodies were like two doors, blocking the entrance to the hall tightly.
During this court meeting, he even brought Cao Cao and others into the hall. There were a few things he felt it was necessary to emphasize in a meeting.
"Zichuan, let you give the explanation first!" Guo Hao signaled Chen Xi to start reporting the situation.
"Let me first talk about our current situation. After all the unrest was quelled this year, the only area in the Thirteen States of the Central Plains that has begun construction is the area around Luoyang. Work has not yet begun in more remote areas, which is very un-Israeli."
Chen Xi set the tone for this meeting as soon as he opened his mouth, which was to carry out a sweep.
"I know that some of you have close ties with various regions, so I will have a detailed construction plan after the meeting. I hope you can use your power to get other regions moving, and don't wait until the imperial army arrives before starting construction."
Chen Xi was hinting at something, and he looked at Cao Cao and others with particular attention. Their previous territory also belonged to the area Chen Xi was talking about.
Chen Xi planned to steadily advance the people's livelihood construction in the world. After sending a large number of coalition soldiers to the three states of Liang, Bing and You, the forces at his disposal were somewhat stretched.
It's not that they don't have the strength to clean up the world, but Chen Xi is concerned that massively expanding the army will delay construction progress, so he still hopes to use gentler means to promote autonomous action in various regions.
He has already built the template. If the officials in various regions cannot even copy it, then they can just be dismissed and that will be the end of the matter. There is no need for .
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the most important areas were still the several large states surrounding Luoyang. After all, most of the world's grain production was provided by the five states of Qing, Xu, Chong, Yu and Ji, so the world's aristocratic families and wealthy businessmen were also concentrated in these places.
However, after the many canals in Luoyang were reopened, the thousands of miles of fertile land in the Guanzhong Plain were no less extensive than those in other large states.
Some people talk about Suzhou and Hangzhou. Anyone with a little common sense knows when that broken place south of the Yangtze River was developed. It began to be developed in the Tang Dynasty, and the so-called Jiangnan was developed until the Southern Song Dynasty moved south and brought technology and population there.
It was also during the Southern Song Dynasty that the south as a whole surpassed the north and became the political, economic and cultural center of the country.
Before this, the south had a hot and humid climate, was filled with miasma, and was full of mountains and steep cliffs. It was generally the best place to exile criminals, of course excluding Yizhou and Sichuan.
The Dujiangyan Irrigation System built by Li Bing and his son is a great achievement that will be remembered for generations, but it is only a small area, and the south as a whole is still in a state of decline and undeveloped.
What about Jingzhou and Yangzhou, the major grain-producing cities in the late Three Kingdoms period? They were simply the result of the Central Plains being destroyed and the tallest ones being picked out from the short ones.
Cao Cao directly massacred the city of Xuzhou, and then a plague spread over a thousand miles, and Xuzhou was directly destroyed.
There is no need to talk about Jizhou. First, Gongsun Zan attacked Yuan Shao, and then Cao Cao attacked Yuan Shao. After the battle, Jizhou was basically severely damaged.
Yuan Shu of Yuzhou proclaimed himself emperor, and then Yuzhou was besieged and later destroyed.
Not to mention Qingzhou, what good things could be left in a place that was ravaged by millions of Yellow Turban refugees? It was directly destroyed.
Yanzhou is the most regrettable place. Xun Yu had developed well, but Cao Cao's father was killed in Xuzhou. Cao Cao went to massacre the city in revenge, which directly led to Chen Gong's rebellion and the introduction of Lu Bu. Then a good territory was destroyed again.
All in all, all the grain-producing lands of the Eastern Han Dynasty were destroyed in the end. However, the current major states are still important grain-producing areas, and Chen Xi still hopes to regain them through peaceful means.
