Establishing a thousand-year family from the nobles of the Western Han Dynasty

Chapter 119 Five states set up governors, rushing to take up their posts
Liu Xin chose to adopt Zhu Chun's suggestion. He trusted the local government more than the central government. In fact, he chose Xu between Wang and Xu.

The risks can be put aside for now. Even the central government doesn't obey orders, so why should the local authorities care about it? At least there will be no problems in the short term.

The main reason why the Zhao rebellion had become so powerful was that the central force was held up by the Donghu people in Taiyuan. In addition, Liu Ruyi, who held great military and political power in the area, took advantage of the situation and marched to Chang'an.

Therefore, as long as there is no change in the central government, the internal and external balance can always be maintained, and it will not be a problem to maintain order for decades.

When the time comes, we will use this opportunity to defeat the Wang family first, and then slowly withdraw.

Moreover, he had no intention of making the provincial governor system permanent. He only intended to select some loyal officials and remove them after they were used up.

Therefore, there should be no problem.

"Your Majesty, you must not do this!" Wang Gen certainly could not agree to this, as this would put him under even greater pressure.

We can no longer act recklessly, after all, the pressure from the outside world is too great.

In fact, it mainly serves as a check and balance. After weighing the pros and cons, no one will take the initiative to overturn the table because they cannot afford the consequences.

The Han Dynasty suffered heavy losses during the previous Zhao rebellion, and it gradually recovered under the care of Emperors Wen and Jing. The Han Dynasty is now undoubtedly in its twilight years and no longer has the vitality it once had.

"I have made up my mind, General, please do not persuade me any further."

The more Wang Gen tried to stop him, the more determined Liu Xin became to establish the governor. As long as it could curb the development of the Wang family, he would consider it. Now his biggest goal was to gain power first! Defeat Wang's in-laws.

He had to clean up the mess left by the previous emperor. If he had used eunuchs back then, this might not have happened at all.

To be honest, Emperor Yuan's choice back then was the right one. At least it was easy for the new emperor to deal with Shi Xian. He deified this powerful eunuch with just one imperial edict. The whole country cheered and there was no resistance.

But it's too late to regret now. Liu Xin does not plan to use eunuchs now because the situation has changed.

The emperor did not have any extra power to give to the eunuchs. Before this, Emperor Yuan mainly used Shi Xian as a knife, but the real power was still in his own hands.

Wang Si was different from Wang Feng, Wang Gen and Wang Shang. The old prime minister's original intention of fighting for power was just to govern the country. He did not want to undermine the emperor, so of course he had the power to fight back.

The most important thing is that the army is in his hands, and General Xu Ning is a staunch royalist.

Without an army, it would be impossible to use eunuchs. Once Wang Gen notices something, he will use this as an excuse to make a big fuss, and then it will be a question whether he can keep sitting on the throne.

"Who else can we use besides eunuchs and relatives of the emperor..." Liu Xin had a bold idea.

But I kept it in my heart for the time being.

"Draft an imperial decree to appoint Yangzhou Governor Zhu Chun as Yangzhou Governor, Right General and Nanyang Governor Xu Zhong as Jingzhou Governor, to help suppress the bandits in Jiangdong, Qinghe Governor Xu Min as Youzhou Governor, Nanjun Governor Xu Yuan as Liangzhou Governor, and Taiyuan Governor Dong Chong as Bingzhou Governor, to jointly suppress the local powerful armed forces."

"You are all loyal and capable ministers of our Han Dynasty. I have great trust in you. I hope you will not disappoint the people of the world and must solve the local bandit problem!"

"Well... Youzhou Mu Xu Min is in charge of frontier military affairs. He must deal with all those rebels who disobey the court! Especially Liangzhou. The Hexi Corridor is very important to the Han Dynasty."

Wang Gen couldn't help but look sideways. Among the five governors, three have the surname Xu! This is too scary. Isn't Your Majesty afraid that the Xu family will rebel?

Moreover, Zhu Chun and Dong Chong are also die-hard Xu party members, which is equivalent to giving half of the world to the Xu family! Doing this just to intimidate himself, the price is a bit high.

The ministers also had a lot of discussions about this. Giving such a vast land to outsiders was something that Emperor Gaodi had done out of helplessness, but he later took it back one by one.

In the future, it will definitely become a big problem!
In fact, Liu Xin would be glad for his decision in his grave.

"Your Majesty, it is not appropriate to give so much land to one family."

A minister stepped forward and advised him not to bear it any longer.

Is it really okay to do this? If the Xu family takes the opportunity to raise an army, then the vast land east of Hangu Pass will be lost.

Jizhou is the base camp of the Xu family. They have You, Bing and Liang under their control. Together with the large number of local border troops, the whole of Hebei and the Central Plains will be conquered in a very short time. As for Jingxiang, Jiangdong and Huainan, there will be no suspense.

In fact, the Xu family also had the ability to compete for the Central Plains later, and there was a high probability that they would win, but they did not choose to do so. They served as the leader of the aristocratic family for another two hundred years, and even in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, they still supported the Han Dynasty.

The main line fought bloody battles until the very last moment, so that later monarchs had great trust in the Xu family. As long as one was born into the two Xu families, the trust problem could almost be solved.

Liu Xin shook his head: "The Xu family is full of loyal people, what else is there to doubt? If even they want to rebel against our Han, then it can only be said that the country is about to perish."

"Unless Emperor Gao is still alive, there is nothing we can do. Nothing we can do."

Since he dared to do so, he had to give up everything and put all his hopes on the Xu family, hoping to rely on them to restore his authority in the local area.

At the same time, it can also check and balance the Wang family in the central government, so why not do it?

"Your Majesty is wise!" Zhu Chun knelt on the ground. He didn't expect that the court would actually adopt his suggestion!

In fact, these governors did cause a huge earthquake, and the entire country's pattern changed.

.........

Nanyang, Wancheng.

Inside the mansion of Marquis Jing, Xu Zhong, who was serving as the Right General in charge of the local government, looked at the imperial edict in his hand with surprise beyond words.

Xu Yuan couldn't wait to ask, "Brother, what is the emperor's will? You are so excited. You were not like this the last time I became prime minister."

"Could it be that Wang Gen, that bastard, died suddenly?"

Xu Zhong put it down and looked at his brother: "Third brother, do you know what a state governor is?"

"Provincial governor? Isn't it the so-called highest official position in a place, the governor of a state's military and political affairs? We in the Han Dynasty no longer have such a thing. The princes are nothing compared to this."

"Just look at it. You will go to Liangzhou in the future."

Xu Yuan took it curiously. Going to Liangzhou would undoubtedly be a demotion. Even if he was a governor, he didn't seem to have done anything wrong.

Or is it that Wang Gen is just too awesome?

His face gradually became shocked, and he put down the imperial edict: "Liangzhou Mu... How is this possible? Your Majesty actually released the military and political power of the five states!"

I actually became a governor! Even though Liangzhou was in chaos, it was still the imperial court's territory. As long as I had soldiers in hand, I would still be a local emperor!
Liangzhou is a very important place. The horses of Liangzhou are the best in the world and it is the most important horse farm of the Han Dynasty. Although the climate there is harsh and the population is sparse, the people are tough and everyone is capable of fighting!
Even the women were not ambiguous, and the troops they mobilized were extremely brave. In addition, the special geographical location connected to the Western Regions, so the court never gave up. There were not only powerful forces in the area, but also many Qiang people. This was the biggest obstacle to governing this place. The Qiang people's heroes had always disobeyed the government and launched rebellions many times.

After the rebellion was suppressed, another rebellion occurred, which caused the prefects and governors to go on strike, and it was very stressful to be a provincial governor there.

"That's the fact. His Majesty trusts us very much, so we must never let him down." Xu Zhong was not very excited. This was a responsibility. Although Jingzhou was calm, Jiangdong was not peaceful. What he had to do was to pacify the bandits in Jiangdong.

With the terrible resources of the two states, it is not difficult to solve the problem, especially Nanyang. Nanyang is as wealthy as a state, with a population of over one million households! It is the largest in the world.

"Alas... I have to be busy now." Xu Yuan's face looked a little gloomy. It was not because he was afraid of those local forces, but mainly because this place was too desolate. It was the kind of place where even birds wouldn't shit there.

Having lived in Nanyang and Chang'an for many years, he simply couldn't get used to the living conditions there.

As for the local Qiang tyrants, they are no problem. The troops of Nanjun cannot be taken away, but recruiting locally is not a problem. Xu Yuan's personal fighting power is very strong, and this is exactly what the people of Liangzhou value most.

People only pledge loyalty to those who are stronger than themselves, and the law of the jungle prevails there. The Qiang people rebelled repeatedly because they were dissatisfied with the prefects and county magistrates.

At the same time, Xu Min of Qinghe also received an imperial edict from the court.

This time, Liu Xin actually kept a trick up his sleeve. He gave Jingzhou to Xu Zhong, but did not give Jizhou to Xu Min. Instead, he put it in Youzhou. The purpose was of course to restrict it, although it was of no use.

The Xu family is the largest powerful family in Hebei. It would be very easy for them to capture Jizhou. The locals won't even resist.

In fact, this is normal. Liu Xin's actions make sense. The reason why he gave Xu Zhong the title of Governor of Jingzhou was to let him support Zhu Chun in Yangzhou. There were no thieves or Qiang people in Jizhou, so there was no need to set up a governor.

Youzhou was facing harassment from the Wuhuan people and was in urgent need of a leader who could take charge of the overall situation. Bingzhou was also not peaceful, and the Xiongnu were the unstable factor in the area.

"Youzhou...it seems that your majesty is under a lot of pressure."

Xu Min fell into deep thought. He could understand His Majesty's intention. Local stability was secondary. The main purpose was to check and balance the Wang family in Chang'an.

Cleaning up the place is just a side job, but it is also a challenge this time.

He had studied at the Military Academy, but had never fought in a war like Xu Zhong. Qinghe had always been a peaceful place, with people busy working in the fields and immersed in the joy of the harvest.

Most of the time they can have enough food, so why do they become bandits? If they can't survive, who would put their head on the belt and rebel?

When Emperor Gaodi started his rebellion, he was also forced to do so. The Chinese were actually a peace-loving race who only liked to farm.

When he rebelled, he already couldn't survive. Someone was preventing him from farming, so he picked up a knife to resist.

Of course there are poor areas in Jizhou, but unfortunately there are none in Qinghe.

"Brother, are you going to Youzhou?" Xu Yue, the second son of Xu Mingdu, looked at his brother and said.

Qinghe is much more comfortable than the frontier. Not only does it have a pleasant climate, it is also their base camp, with countless slaves and fields, and innumerable properties to squander.

Although, Xu Min has always regarded money as dirt, in his heart no amount of money is as real as land.

This thing is hard currency. Food is always the most important thing in agricultural civilization. When famine strikes, you can't even buy food. At this time, you have to rely on your usual accumulation.

"Of course I have to go. After all, this is the order of His Majesty, and this governor is not much better than a small prefect." Xu Min said with a smile.

No matter what, a county is still a county after all and cannot be compared with a state. Moreover, Youzhou has a large number of border troops. Isn't this the military power that he lacks the most?

The army is the foundation of a country. Whoever controls the military power cannot be shaken. The Wang family has remained standing thanks to the imperial guards.

"After I leave, Qinghe will be handed over to you." Xu Min put down the imperial edict.

Your Majesty's intention is to let Xu Yue take over the post of prefect, but the meat is still rotten in the pot.

To be honest, he would not be happy if an outsider took over. This is his own base camp. If an outsider comes, he must not be allowed to mess around, so as to maintain his status.

Then conflict with the imperial court is inevitable.

"Don't worry, big brother." Xu Yue nodded. The Xu family still has the final say in Jizhou.

Xu Min looked out the window and murmured to himself, "Father, please watch carefully. Min will never let you down."

"This state governor will definitely do a good job."

As the descendant of Xu Zhen, he is of course competitive. Xu Zhong suppressed the rebellion of Wang Tong and Zhang Ning, and he was definitely more powerful than himself as the Right General.

As for Xu Hua, the eldest son of Henan Xu family, he was even more remarkable. As the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty and the representative of the Xu family in the court, he was far inferior to Xu in terms of power and influence.

This was also Xu Ming's problem back then. He insisted on fighting Wang Feng to the end, and was eventually driven out of the court, and his forces retreated to Hebei.

But as a son, of course I can't blame my father.

Xu Min hopes to use this opportunity to make his family look respectable for once!
.........

Emperor Wu of Han sent Wei Qing and Huo Qubing on an expedition to fight the Xiongnu, opened up the Hexi Corridor, incorporated vast tracts of land into his territory, and established Liangzhou.

Liangzhou was divided into seven counties, Longxi, Anding, Wuwei, Jincheng, Zhangye, Jiuquan, and Dunhuang, which together constituted Xiliang.

Among them, the Qiang people constantly launched rebellions, the central authority weakened, and gradually, the court could only directly control the four counties of Longxi, Anding, Wuwei and Jincheng.

Cities like Zhangye, Jiuquan and Dunhuang in the Hexi Corridor were in the hands of the Qiang people and local powerful armed forces.

Even the territories in hand were not peaceful. The government often had to compromise with them in order to govern them. The core problem was that there were too few troops. Why did no one dare to rebel during the reigns of Emperor Wu, Emperor Kang and Emperor Xuan?

Xu Yuan had come up with a plan overnight. His primary goal was to establish his authority and let the Qiang people and the powerful know who was the master here.

In places like this where the people are tough, the more you try to reason with them, the less they will obey you. A beating will immediately make them obedient.

Liu Xin had the same plan and specially sent the military general Xu Yuan to come.

The seat of Liangzhou was Long County in Longxi County, which was the center of the entire Liangzhou and the place where the imperial court had the greatest influence.

With thousands of county soldiers guarding the place, almost no one dared to act rashly. After all, the imperial court was the imperial court, and the closer to the center, the greater the authority.

What Xu Yuan wants to do is not to eliminate them one by one, but to establish his authority invisibly!
(End of this chapter)