Under the setting sun, the large ship slowly docked at the pier. Wei Zheng went ashore without saying a word and entered the dock area.
To outsiders, Wei Zheng was in his thirties at the time. His movements showed a certain dignity, which showed that he had considerable martial arts skills. When he walked, his green robe fluttered, and he even had a bit of an immortal air.
Wei Zheng walked slowly along the street, preparing to observe the situation in the entire Kuaiji County.
With his keen perception, he knew that he was invited here, and as soon as he arrived in Kuaiji County, he would be under full supervision. However, he was surprisingly calm. Since he stepped onto the dock, he put aside all his expectations and worries, and all that was left was how to appreciate the entire city.
The dock area has a road paved with thick soil, which is fine. Trees are planted on both sides of the road, but the leaves are almost all fallen now. Looking closely, the dock area is divided into fishing boat area, merchant ship area, and warship area. Everything is in good order. Although it is still a bit messy and dirty, at least there are no piles of garbage and strong stench, which can be considered first-class management.
I secretly praised it in my heart. Just from this point, I knew that the system of Wuzhou General Manager had been established, and his authority began to penetrate into the local area and operate normally.
Being a bandit for a country is actually nothing more than whether the power order has been established and whether it can be implemented. One point can reveal its essence.
"Sir, do you want to go to the city?" Not long after, a mule cart came up: "Only fifty cents."
Although this mule cart was narrow and uncomfortable, Wei Zheng still nodded. He touched a silver plate on his body, which was specially sent. The visitor said that as long as he showed this plate, he could requisition a horse-drawn carriage at the dock area. Horse-drawn carriages were very rare things. After all, there were not enough military horses now, so how could there be any ordinary horses to pull carts?
But he wanted to see the situation, so he thought about it and got on the mule cart. Although it was bumpy, he could also look around. Zhang Xuanning had only been in power for a year, and even if he was a god, there would be no changes or signs. But Wei Zheng would not look at these things. He only looked at the operation of the regime.
In other words, whether the people approve of the regime, whether they have any resistance, and whether the orders can be carried out are the only criteria. As for what constitutes a great governance, no one is naive.
After seeing everything along the way and paying the toll, Wei Zheng arrived at the city gate. He paid a penny and entered the city. When he was in the city, it was completely different. The long streets of the thousand-year-old city were old, with small buildings everywhere and people coming and going. It was obvious that the city had regained its liveliness. Perhaps there were a few yamen runners walking on the street. Seeing this, Wei Zheng couldn't help but sigh - this is the rule of the people, and it's enough.
This Zhang Xuanning, only eighteen years old, has really established himself here, established an official system and a military system, and is on the rise.
He himself was already thirty-six years old. He lost his parents at a young age and his family was poor. However, he claimed to be familiar with the scriptures and was also a Taoist priest, who had received martial arts training. This time he came not only because Zhang Xuanning had some influence in the south, but also half because he was invited by a Taoist priest. Therefore, although he had finally found a second-rate secretary in Yuan Baozang, the prefect of Wuyang County, after receiving the invitation, he thought about it for several times and came resolutely.
The situation I saw had not disappointed me yet, and I also hoped that I would not disappoint Zhang Xuanning! Wei Zheng thought so, he touched the silver plate, asked for directions, and walked straight to the General Manager's Mansion.
In the General Manager's Mansion, Gao Zhandao and Chen Changlin were both in the study. At this time, the status of the monarch and his subjects had been determined, but the system was just being established and they had not yet become kings, so there was no need to be so troublesome with the etiquette.
After listening to Zhang Xuanning's question, Gao Zhandao said, "Maritime trade is not difficult at all. As long as it is profitable, merchants will come like ants. The difficulty is that we must ensure the safety of the sea and rivers. So we must have a navy to control the waterways of the territory."
Having said that, no matter what position you are in, as long as it is not too bad, you will naturally make progress. The current Gao Zhandao is completely different from the small officer he used to be.
Chen Changlin also nodded in agreement and said, "We now have two five-tooth giant ships, and we have also found the blueprints for building them. It is very expensive to build just one ship, but this kind of giant ship is necessary for sea navigation. If it is just for inland rivers, there is no need for such luxury. As for sailors, although they are in short supply, it is not a big problem."
Zhang Xuanning nodded and said, "Even if we have sufficient funds, it will take a whole shipyard a year to build a five-toothed giant ship. I have ordered three shipyards to build this ship at the same time, but other ships cannot be built."
Chen Changlin said with a smile: "My lord, please rest assured. If it is against the coastal or inland navy, it is relatively simple. As long as the shipbuilders modify the old ships first, after all, they are military and civilian, and only some key positions need to be changed. In less than a year, we can have a navy that can be used."
Zhang Xuanning smiled and said, "That's great. Zhandao, I'll leave this matter to you. Also, you will be in charge of controlling the coastal trade. I'm going to build a shipping department, and you will be the sixth-rank shipping department. In the future, you will have to establish more trade with overseas and draw sea charts."
"Yes, thank you for your cultivation, my lord. I understand." Gao Zhandao immediately knelt down and responded. Now the division of labor is very clear. Gao Zhandao is in charge of logistics, personnel, ships, and commerce, while Chen Changlin specializes in naval military affairs.
At this time, a guard came in, knelt down and reported: "General, there is someone outside who claims to be Wei Zheng, and he has brought the lord's silver token."
Wei Zheng, it's you. One of the twenty-four ministers has finally arrived. Zhang Xuanning's heart skipped a beat. He closed his eyes and collected his thoughts. After a while, he said casually, "Well, you can do the work after waiting for two more people. You can call Wei Zheng in."
"Yes, my lord!" The two of them retreated immediately.
Wei Zheng was appointed as a secretary by Yuan Baozang, the governor of Wuyang County of Sui Dynasty. After Yuan Baozang surrendered the county to Li Mi, he was appointed as a literary officer of the Marshal's Office by Li Mi, specializing in documents and files. After Li Mi's failure, Wei Zheng followed him into the pass and surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, but he was not used for a long time. The following year, Wei Zheng asked to pacify Hebei. After the imperial edict was approved, he took the post to Liyang and persuaded Xu Shiji, the Liyang garrison commander of Li Mi, to surrender to the Tang Dynasty. Soon, Dou Jiande captured Liyang and Wei Zheng was captured. After Dou Jiande's failure, Wei Zheng returned to Chang'an and was appointed as a subordinate of the Eastern Palace by the crown prince Li Jiancheng. After the Xuanwu Gate Incident, this person saw that Li Shimin threatened his father and killed his brother, and the family law was not correct. He was afraid of being pointed at by thousands of people, so he was eager to whitewash his image and gain a foothold in the court with his upright character, often fighting on the basis of reason, and never compromising.
In fact, Li Shimin hated this man deeply, but in order to create an image of himself as the greatest emperor of all time, he had to accommodate him. The following words may be seen as a manifestation of harmony between the monarch and his subjects and magnanimity by stupid people. In fact, to those who are scheming, these words are really enough to make people sweat - this is indeed a manifestation of murderous intent that can hardly be suppressed.
The emperor once dismissed his court and said angrily, "I will kill the farmer now!"
Later, the emperor asked who it was, and he said, "Wei Zheng always humiliates me in court."
She withdrew and put on court dress, saying, "I have heard that the ruler is wise and the ministers are upright. Now Wei Zheng is upright because of your majesty's wisdom. How dare I not congratulate you!"
Although the history books say that "the emperor was pleased", in fact, after Wei Zheng's death, he regretted the engagement between the princess and Wei Zheng's eldest son Shuyu, not caring about the reputation of the emperor, and toppled the tombstone he had written for Wei Zheng after his death. This shows how deep the hatred in Li Shimin's heart was. If he was not afraid of his reputation as a hypocrite being exposed after his death, he would have confiscated Wei Zheng's property and exterminated his entire clan.
Although he was convicted for recommending Du Zhenglun and Hou Junji, this was actually the prince's business. Ru was wise and should have known that even if there was some involvement, it had nothing to do with Wei Zheng. Besides, the man was dead, so what was the point of pursuing it? In the final analysis, if Ru really remembered the old favor, how could he do something like posthumously pushing the tombstone? It was nothing more than taking advantage of the topic to vent the evil accumulated in his heart.
Using copper as a mirror, one can correct his clothes and hats; using the past as a mirror, one can understand the rise and fall; using people as a mirror, one can understand gains and losses. Although this sentence of dialogue between the emperor and his ministers has been passed down through the ages, in the final analysis, it is nothing more than a fantasy of superficial historical phenomena. It's just that there are too many people who are willing to fantasize like this!
However, Wei Zheng was not like this at the beginning. I guess at this moment, he would not position himself as the kind of loyal minister that the emperor would hate. When Zhang Xuanning thought so, he heard someone outside announcing, "My lord, Wei Zheng is here."
"Mr. Wei, please come in." Zhang Xuanning didn't think about it any more. He hurriedly took two quick steps and walked out of the study. When he saw Wei Zheng again, he was indeed tall and slender, dressed in green, with a calm expression. Zhang Xuanning smiled and walked down the steps. He bowed and said, "Mr. Wei has come from afar, and I can't greet you from afar. I hope Mr. Wei will forgive me."
In fact, as the future lord and the governor of two counties, it was a rare honor to be able to come down to greet him. At this time, Wei Zheng did not have the habit of becoming a slave of the five families and having to be a loyal subject. He quickly stepped forward and knelt down: "Wei Zheng greets the governor."
"Mr. Wei is a famous scholar in the world, please stand up quickly." Zhang Xuanning hurriedly helped him up.
The two of them entered the study, exchanged greetings for a while, took their seats according to host and guest, the maid served them fragrant tea, and then they left one after another.
Zhang Xuanning said, "Mr. Wei, I heard that you are very talented and knowledgeable. I dare to ask you for advice. I wonder what the so-called wise ruler and dark ruler are?"
When asked this question as soon as he arrived, Wei Zheng was stunned, but after a moment's hesitation, he answered: "The reason why a king is wise is that he listens to all sides, and the reason why a king is foolish is that he only trusts one side. In the past, Qin II lived in the deep palace and did not meet with ministers. He only trusted the eunuch Zhao Gao, and he was kept in the dark until the world was in chaos; Emperor Yang of Sui only trusted Yu Shiji, and many counties in the world were lost, but he did not know it."
These are actually common. Zhang Xuanning nodded and said, "Based on what Mr. Wei said, we can understand why the emperor is trapped in Jiangdu. You know, the emperor has sent troops to attack Du Fuwei and Li Zitong, but has failed repeatedly."
Wei Zheng certainly understood this matter and said with a sigh: "If Your Majesty cannot defeat Du Fuwei and Li Zitong's troops, even if you are trapped in Jiangdu and cannot order people to leave the city, you will still be the emperor, but you have actually lost the world! Seeing this, all those who know the situation in the world know that the fate of the Great Sui Dynasty is about to end."
In fact, he was willing to come out because he saw this clearly. Otherwise, he would not consider joining the rebel faction unless he had no other choice. This is also very obvious.
"Mr. Wei, it was the easiest for the Sui Dynasty to gain the country, and it was also the easiest to lose the country. What's the reason?" Zhang Xuanning asked directly. At this time, it was November of the twelfth year of Daye. Some people who really understood the situation had already begun to position Emperor Yang of Sui as someone who had lost his country.
"Emperor Wen ascended the throne by relying on the noble status of a relative by marriage, taking advantage of the young age of his master. It was because he gained the throne easily, without a bloody battle or cleansing, that the original royal family and old ministers were dissatisfied and regretful. Therefore, in fact, the whole country was not at peace."
"Emperor Wen also made mistakes in employing people. He used and guarded against the Shandong gentry, dismissed, demoted and killed many of them, and few of them lived out their mandate. This increased alienation. Soon, Wang Qian and Yuchi Jiong rebelled, which is a clear proof of this."
"The noble families in the north all rejected the Han people and were keen on assimilating to the barbarians. As soon as Emperor Wen came to power, he immediately restored his Han surname, stopped assimilating to the barbarians, and vigorously assimilated the old ministers who rebelled and the powerful officials (barbarian families), and punished them without mercy. This included those who had contributed to his seizure of the throne. Therefore, in fact, the noble families in the north had already jointly rejected him."
"Although Emperor Wen was wise and brave, he improved the system internally and pacified the barbarians externally, advocated frugality, worked hard in government affairs, and made the country prosperous, the noble families had actually conspired to overthrow him. Your Majesty was able to ascend to the throne only because of the support of the noble families, hoping that the royal family would cause strife in the world. When Your Majesty ascended the throne by killing his father and brother, he lost the hope of being a son. He also invaded Korea three times and opened the Grand Canal, which also caused chaos everywhere. The situation was out of control."
"In the final analysis, it is the disaster left behind by the improper acquisition of the country back then!"
Wei Zheng was not pretentious and spoke directly, and this long paragraph came out naturally.
Zhang Xuanning was stunned at first. The more he listened, the more surprised he was. In the end, he couldn't help but light up. To be honest, he didn't have much good feelings towards Wei Zheng. After all, in history, what he did was to be a slave of the Five Families in his early years, and nothing more than a play in his middle and late years. It was really a play with Li Shimin, two actors, each taking what they needed. Most of the focus was on advising the monarch and his morality, rather than making any achievements in the governance of the world. He just wanted to gain a good reputation in history and be admired by ignorant people in later generations.
But now it seems that he is really a national hero! Seeing him discussing the world, the gains and losses, his elegant and heroic demeanor, I can't help but feel pity and admiration, and my mind immediately changes.
Xu Xingzhi can also be considered a first-class talent, but in comparison, this person still wins. It turns out that those who have left their names in history are not simple at all!
He said immediately: "What Mr. Wei said made me suddenly realize that Mr. Wei is really a great man. Will you help me?"
"How dare I disagree with your kindness, my lord? Your servant Wei Zheng pays respect to you, my lord!"
"Mr. Wei, please stand up!" Zhang Xuanning hurriedly helped him up, thinking about what official position he should be given. At this moment, someone came in quickly, with a happy face, and reported: "My lord, Jian'an City has been captured, the bandit leader Zheng Wenya has been beheaded, and Lin Baohu has surrendered. The county has been basically pacified!"
"Ah, so fast, report it in detail quickly!" Zhang Xuanning said in great joy.
The messenger's face was also full of joy, and he reported one by one. It turned out that in mid-October, Zhou Feng, Feng Yuanding and Ding Xingbang, each led 3,000 troops to attack Jian'an County, and Chen Changlin led 3,000 navy to support them. Wherever they went, Min County, Nan'an County, and Longxi County responded one after another, and after a short battle, they fell into the hands of the three armies.
The three armies jointly attacked Jian'an City. After ten days, the city was broken with the help of an accomplice from within. Zheng Wenya was beheaded, while Lin Baohu surrendered. The one who beheaded Zheng Wenya was a soldier under Zhou Feng's command.
"Very good, very good, you all performed well. Where is Li Baiyao?"
"My lord, Lord Li is fine. He has submitted a letter of surrender to you. Here is the letter. Let me bring it with me."
"Very good, very good, indeed very good. Immediately reward according to military merit. Well, Lin Baohu is willing to join our army, so he will be appointed as the commander of a thousand men and take the rest of the troops to Kuaiji. Well, order Li Baiyao to come to see me immediately!" After a pause, he had an idea: "Mr. Wei, I will appoint you as the acting magistrate of Jian'an, and once the county is pacified, I will immediately appoint you to the official position. How do you think?"
"Congratulations, my lord, on taking over Jian'an County. As soon as you saw me, you entrusted me with an important task. I am really overwhelmed. However, I am an inferior official, and I am not worthy of such a promotion when I first arrived. Lord Li is the Prime Minister of Jian'an, and I am willing to assist him. Only then can I accept the order." After hearing this, Wei Zheng couldn't help feeling dizzy. The Prime Minister of Jian'an, when there is no prefect, is the lord of a county. Although there is the word "acting", he has actually jumped more than ten levels out of thin air. It is really a rapid rise. However, he is already 36 years old after all, and he is experienced and mature. He doesn't want to make enemies within the system, so he declined the position.
There are only two or three counties now, so there is no need for a prefect. You can govern directly. When there are five counties in the future, you will have to start setting up prefects, but by then you will have to be a king, so you might as well do it all at once.
Zhang Xuanning originally meant that Li Baiyao should be transferred to Yongjia County as the prefect, and Wei Zheng should be appointed as the prefect of Jian'an. In the future the prefecture governor and then transferred to the central government. Now that he heard this, he felt that he was a little too reckless and promoted too quickly. He thought for a moment and said, "Then you can be the county lord and assist Li Baiyao first. Well, Li Baiyao doesn't need to see me yet. Let's settle the politics in the county first."
"Yes, I respectfully accept your order." This time, Wei Zheng did not refuse. He bowed deeply, as if he had accepted the order.